Oh, Livia, you make me live...ia: Another love letter to the mother of the country

Young love. I really do love romanticizing (no Romanictic pun intended) about young, pregnant Livia leaving her stuffy senator husband for a young brash, untried, yet bold as they could come, after his grand uncle hands him the keys to the world, man whom she truly loves.
That really is how it plays in my mind with everything that has been written about them.


(Livia catching a fainting Octavia, Augustus sister, whilst virgil reads the young, looking, couple The Aeneid)

Of all the sub genres that I love, aaand faithful reader as you know there are many, maybe the smallest (as in only 3 in said set) and most striking is the Livia Augusta 3 coin set of lovely dupondii minted under her son Tiberius.
I now have 2 of the 3. No jokes about me not having any Pietas. Can't lose what you never had

This one, the hardest to get in good condition, is the mother of our country as Salus and its green patina is a wonderful contrast to my 1st of her as lady Justice!
Without further ado, here is/are the lady(ies) of the hour:

Livia, wife of Augustus AD 14-29. Rome
Dupondius Æ, 31 mm., 13,13 g.
nearly very fine
Ex: Savoca


Livia, wife of Augustus
(died in 29 AD). AE As, struck under Tiberius, 22-23 AD. D / Diademed and draped bust of Livia (as Justitia) right; IVSTITIA below. R / TI CAESAR DIVI F AVG PM TR POT XXIIII around large SC. RIC (Tib.) 46. AE. g. 13.18 mm. 29.00 R. Rare. Dark green patina. F. Ex Artemide Aste

Please post your coins of one of, if not, histories greatest women, thoughts or anything that poisons your fig

 

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No Livia to post. But congrats on your new nice patina Dupondius. And thanks for your writing who made me smile...very appreciated after a long and bad day at work...

 

Fun write up, as always, @Ryro! I don't give this Alexandrian diobol of Livia enough publicity:

Livia, under Augustus, 27 BC - AD 13.
Roman Æ diobol, 7.41 g, 24.2 mm, 1 h.
Egypt, Alexandria, 6th series, AD 10-11.
Obv: Bare head right with Nodus hairstyle.
Rev: Date (LM=40) within oak wreath.
Refs: BMC 16.4, 31; SGI 209; Emmett 57; RPC 5054.
Notes: Antioch Associates (Lindgren) Mail Bid Sale 38, 25 February, 2002, lot 110.

 

Nice coins. Thanks for the photos and writeup.

 

ah kool coin and story Ryro..who's the painting by?!..(no coins of her here...)

 

Thanks and Zucchi!
There's also this fun image by Wicar of the same scene:

 

..priceless ><

 

ah...now it makes sense....she fainted because the story reminded her of her son Marcellus who died young...ok....

 

Clearly you don't, sir! She's a cutie. Really like her Olive oil/Fulvia vibe/hair.
The type is the first portrait of hers that I bought:

 

Nice coins, @Ryro!

I think Augustus called her “Libby” in everyday life...



LIVIA


R Alexandria Livia, wife of Augustus Diobol CE 1-2 Æ 23.5mm 7.46g. Rev. Athena holding Nike Sheild ex Dattari-Savio Pl. 3 60-this coin RPC pag. 692-5-this coin RARE



Judaea Pontius Pilate - Prutah Julia - IOYLIA KAICAPOC Julia Caesar - LIVIA wife of Augustus Hendin 1341

 

Livia on a couple of Provincials from Lydia:



Gaius Caesar Æ 20
Tralles, Lydia
(5 B.C.-1 A.D.)
ΓAIOΣ KAI[ΣA]Ρ, bare head r. / KAI[ΣA]ΡEΩN ΛEIBA, Livia, veiled, as Demeter
standing front, holding corn-ear and poppy, right hand raised, crescent beside her head.
RPC I 2648; BMC 117; Imhoof LS 27; BMC 118-120; Waddington 5419-5420 etc.
(5.50 grams / 20 x 18 mm)



Tiberius & Livia Æ 18
Sardes, Lydia
(c. 17-37 A.D.)
ΣEBAΣTOΣ KAIΣAΡEΩN ΣAΡΔIANΩN, Tiberius, togate, standing left, Tyche kneeling r. / ΣEBAΣTH IOYΛIOΣ KΛEΩN KAI MEMNΩN, Livia as Ceres seated right, with sceptre & grain.
RPC 2991; SNG Cop. 515.
(4.61 grams / 18 x 16 mm)

Note:
Commemorating the financial assistance to Sardes after the earthquake of 17 A.D.

 

Fun thread and nice addition, Ryro.

LIVIA
AE15. 4.53g, 15mm. LYDIA, Tripolis, AD 14-37, struck under Tiberius. Hieratikos, magistrate. RPC I 3053; SNG Copenhagen 741-2. O: ΣEBAΣTH, head of Livia left. R: IEPATIKO/Σ – TPIΠOΛEI/TΩN, Club.

To apologize for my poor Livia, here's the young, minxy version from the Rome TV series.

 

Yes. And Octavia is more than reminded of Marcellus. Vergil actually inserts the pre-born soul of Marcellus into Book 6 of the Aeneid, as Anchises unfolds the fate of great Romans as yet unborn, including Marcellus.

Marcellus was Augustus’s first heir, the son of Augustus’s sister Octavia. Full of promise, Marcellus died tragically young in 23 BC. Legend has it that when Virgil gave a “sneak preview” of his poem to the imperial family, Octavia fainted during the verses about her son.

tu Marcellus eris. Manibus date lilia plenis,
purpureos spargam flores, animamque nepotis
his saltem adcumulem donis, et fungar inani

"You will be Marcellus. Give me lilies with full [manibus]
that I might scatter purple flowers, and that I might honour
at least the hears of the grandson with these gifts, and that I might
fulfill useless duty."

 

..and, i remember watching & hearing the Beatles for the 1st time on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' circa 1963/4..inspired me to play the guitar.

 

Well, major thread hijack ahead...I shall be playing this very tune Monday night at a gig. I am the only medievalist Ph.D. rock band front man ancient coin collector I know. I'm on the far right.

Here's me and the fellas doing this tune at a recent gig:
https://myuu-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/...9Jh6ezi6xRpLsB7Gu-plhtu-LWUiNmcbVK7Q?e=TQnnq9

 

..ahaha!...that's damn good jammin' there Richard!.. (oh, it's not a hijack, Ryro's an inspiration on many levels to us all!)

 

I can't believe that with all the songs in this thread that nobody has posted the one I think of first when I hear "you make me live":



Here's one of the happy couple:


Augustus and Livia, issued under Tiberius, AD 14-29.
Roman provincial Æ 31 mm, 21.48 g.
Spain, Hispalis, Colonia Romula, AD 14-29.
Obv: PERM DIVI AVG COL ROM, radiate head of Augustus right; thunderbolt before, star above.
Rev: IVLIA AVGVSTA GENETRIX ORBIS, head of Livia, left; globe beneath, crescent above.
Refs: RPC-73; SGI-189; Heiss 393, 2; Cohen 169, 3; Alvarez-Burgos 1587; Lindgren II 69; SNG Tubingen 118; SNG Copenhagen 423.13.35.

 

hehe...i heard it in my head ....that's still one of my favorite songs bar none...

 

Nice coins all! All of my coins of Livia are provincial, and only one comes from the time she was married to Augustus

Pergamum, Mysia
Livia (right), with Julia the Elder (left)


Macedon, Thessaloniki
Tiberius + Livia (I feel this one accurately captured her personality as a fierce woman not to be trifled with!)


Posthumous?
Cilicia, Augusta
Bust of Livia / Capricorn


Not sure if this is lifetime or much later
Augusta, Cilicia
Livia / Statue of Tyche

 

Nice presentation ! , my Pietas is not in a good grade , but at least we will complete the 3 dupondius set.
The second coin has Livia on reverse.

Livia Æ Dupondius. Struck ca 22/3 AD. RIC 43 , Cohen 1.
PIETAS, veiled, diademed and draped bust of Livia as Pietas right /
DRVSVS CAESAR TI AVGVSTI F TR POT ITER around large S C.


Augustus. AE As. Struck by Tiberius. RIC I (Tib) 72.
DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER, radiate head left, star above, thunderbolt to left /
S-C, Livia seated right, holding patera and sceptre.