An Early Domitian Quadrans

[David Atherton]

This wasn't expensive and I was missing it... plus, it's a pretty handsome piece!

 

 

Domitian
Æ Quadrans, 1.97g
Rome Mint, 81-82 AD
Obv: IMP DOMIT AVG; Head of Minerva, helmeted, r.
Rev: S C in laurel wreath
RIC 125 (C). BMC 486. BNC -.
Acquired from Gert Boersema, February 2024.

A fairly common early Domitianic quadrans, struck either in 81 or early 82. The quadrans in the early imperial period typically lacked an imperial portrait, here instead we have Domitian's patron deity Minerva on the obverse. Tariffed at a quarter of an as, the denomination was possibly deemed too lowly by mint officials to warrant a portrait. They were struck haphazardly and functioned primarily as an urban low value coinage in Rome and central Italy. The quadrans was the typical fee for entry into the baths, a urinal, or for a tryst in a cheap brothel. Being of rather low value quadrantes were not typically hoarded and thus are relatively scarce today being virtually absent from site finds outside central and south-central Italy (in contrast, over 1,827 quadrantes have been found at Pompeii).

In hand.

 

Thanks for looking!

[JAZ Numismatics]

I really like these quadrantes - so many types to collect. And again, your video shows the true character of the coin. But were they actually the price of a tryst in a brothel? I've heard that said before, but I've never found any evidence for it. Were prostitutes really that cheap in ancient Rome?

[CPK]

Great little coin. There's definitely something appealing about those little quadrantes!

[David Atherton]

3 hours ago, JAZ Numismatics said:

But were they actually the price of a tryst in a brothel? I've heard that said before, but I've never found any evidence for it. Were prostitutes really that cheap in ancient Rome?

At Pompeii the going rate was between 2 and 20 asses ... so perhaps you'd need a purse full of quadrantes!