Denarius of Vespasian

Upon Nero’s suicide the empire was thrown into a Royal Rumble Death Match to determine who would emerge as Emperor. The Spanish legions raised Galba, who was then betrayed by Otho and the Praetorian Guard and who was then subsequently crushed by Vitellius’ German legions. As this played out in Italy, Vespasian and the eastern legions waited to be tagged into the match. Vespasian then laid the smack down Vitellius’ candy ass and became Emperor in 69 AD, winning the Heavy Weight Championship in the Year of Four Emperors.

Vespasian was a common soldier who rose through the ranks and eventually led the Roman repression to the First Jewish Revolt in 66 AD. Through his acts and that of his son Titus, they are responsible for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the spoils of the plunder are shown on the Arch of Titus in the Forum.

As a ruler and administrator, Vespasian is viewed positively, albeit using unconventional methods to restore the treasury after Nero’s excesses. As reported by Suetonius his approaches include: cornering the market on a good to re-sell it for profit, elevating men through the cursus honorum as “sponges” to soak up wealth to be “wrung out” later, and placing a tax on urine (which was collected publicly in cloth cleaning). His son Titus objected to the tax, but Vespasian held a gold coin under his son’s nose and replied, “Gold does not stink.” The most visible remnant of his reign is the Flavian Amphitheater, better known today as the Colosseum.

Vespasian did not fall into the trappings and vanity of being the Emperor. Known for always looking severe, he asked a guest at dinner to tell him a joke, but the person responded, “I will do so when you are relieving yourself.” As he lay dying, he asked to be helped to stand as “An emperor should die on his feet.” Continuing, he mocked the deification of his predecessors, declaring: “Methinks I’m turning into a god.”