Title
Silver denarii and gold aurei minted under the reign of the Emperor Titus, 80 CE.
Description
Obverse: Titus. Reverse: Dolphin and Anchor.
These are examples of the coin that Erasmus claimed as Aldus’s inspiration. Romans believed that volcanic activity and earthquakes were both the work of the god Neptune, and the image of the dolphin, which appears on many coins under Titus and Domitian, may have reflected the desire to appease the angry god following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. A Roman aureus was worth 25 denarii.
These are examples of the coin that Erasmus claimed as Aldus’s inspiration. Romans believed that volcanic activity and earthquakes were both the work of the god Neptune, and the image of the dolphin, which appears on many coins under Titus and Domitian, may have reflected the desire to appease the angry god following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. A Roman aureus was worth 25 denarii.
Source
From the collection of G. Scott Clemons.