VESPASIANO Aureo 73 d.C. - Gold.

Historical Context: "It is believed that the original Temple of Vesta was built by Numa Pompilius along with the Regia and the original House of the Vestal Virgins, although the site had already been the centre of cult activity since the 7th century. The temple was the repository of the wills and legal documents of Roman senators and relics such as the Palladium. Popular superstition held that the sacred fire of Vesta contained within was closely linked to the fate of the city, and its extinction was considered a harbinger of disaster. One of the earliest structures located in the Roman Forum, it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times. The current representation is that of Nero's restoration after the Great Fire of 64 d.C. The appearance of the temple as a type on Vespasian's coins is probably related to the seriousness with which he assumed the role of Pontifex Maximus, head of the Roman religion, a position he assumed in 71, which was followed by an explosion of religion-related types on coinage. It is also appropriate that the founding emperor of the Flavian dynasty used on his coins the temple sacred to the goddess of the hearth, home and family in the Roman religion. However, it is perhaps a little ironic that, while commemorating the temple built by Nero to replace the one lost in the Great Fire, Vespasian had recently begun work on the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre (or Colosseum). It stands on part of the large central area of Rome that Nero appropriated after the devastation of the fire to build the lavish and extravagant Domus Aurea palace. It was therefore a symbolic act for Vespasian to return part of the city of Rome to its people and to erect a lasting monument to the Flavian dynasty."