AUGUST 19th: AUGUSTUS' DEATH

"I FOUND ROME A CITY OF BRICKS AND LEFT IT A CITY OF MARBLE."

The history

Founder of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he is described as one of the most effective leaders in human history. His maternal great-uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and Octavian was named in Caesar's will as his adopted son and heir. January 16, 27 BC the Senate gave Octavian the new titles of Augustus and Princeps. Augustus comes from the Latin Augere (meaning to increase) and can be translated as "the illustrious". It was a title of religious authority rather than political authority. Historians, both ancient and modern, have made varying judgments about Augustus. Some have condemned his ruthless pursuit of power, especially his role in proscription during the triumvirate era. Others, like Tacitus who is putting the imperial regime on trial, have recognized his actions as sovereign. Contemporary historians sometimes criticize his unscrupulous methods and authoritarian style of government, but they generally credit him for establishing an efficient administration, a stable government, and bringing security and prosperity back to this country, which will become the Roman Empire. He died 19 August AD 14, while visiting Nola where his father had died.



The coinage

Under the reign of Augustus was implemented a monetary reform, in 19 BC. From Augustus, and throughout the Empire, the emperors took advantage of the coinage for their propaganda, by taking care of their portrait on the coins. Augustus put the minting of gold and silver coins, the aureus and the denarius, under his personal control without changing their weight or finesse. Aureus gold, weighing about a quarter of an ounce, was worth twenty-five deniers of silver, weighing about one-eighth of a troy ounce.

He also reformed in a more complete way the denominations inferior to the denarius. New ratios were established between currencies: the sestertius was now minted from about one ounce of orichalcum, an alloy of copper and zinc, rather than silver, and set at a quarter of a denarius. The dupondius, once a two-pound bronze coin, was now an orichalcum, valued at half a sestertius and weighing half. The half ace ounce, worth half a dupondius, the semis, worth half an ace, and the quadrans, worth half a semis, were the first pure copper coins minted in Rome since 84 BC.
While the coinage of Augustus is extensive and richly varied, it can be grouped into three different categories: the Imperatorial issues as Octavian, the Imperial issues as Augustus and various issues struck in the names of moneyers or proconsuls. The opening of the Lugdunum mint in 15 BC was a very important date; from that moment, Roman gold and silver coins were produced mainly, then exclusively from 12 BC, in this workshop.

On the day he died, please show me your Augustan coins !


Ae As
RIC 428
P LVRIVS AGRIPPA
25 mm 8.05g


Ae As
RIC 427
P LVRIVS AGRIPPA
25 mm 8.35g

 

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Great write-up!
Sadly, this is the only Augustus I have to share. Have only shared it once or twice since starting collecting ancients since it is pretty raggedy. I am in dire need of an Augustus upgrade.
However, it was purchased at the first coin show that FFIVN and I attended specifically to look at ancients so it is a keeper.

Emperor Augustus
2 BC - 14 AD
Turiaso, Spain
Obverse: IMP.AVGVSTVS.P.P., Bust of Augustus, laureate head right
Reverse: TVRIASO, Bust of Livia, right
Weight: 13.10g
Diameter: 28.6mm

 

Great write up and coins but ooooiii, that marble shield is rad!
Here are a couple:

As for the death of a waaaaay long over lived emperor...

 

Augustus Ae Semis Lugdunum 9-14 AD Obv. head right laureate. Rv. Front elevation of the Altar of the Tree Gauls RIC 234 var 5.19 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen When I first saw this coin I was initially convinced that I was looking at was a very dark denarius. The image of Augustus on this coin is virtually identical to that found on the contemporary denarii minted at Lugdunum and I am fairly certain that they were done by the same hand. Like the contemporary denarii the image of Augustus seen on this coin follows in the classical canon as seen in the works of Polyclitus. The image of Augustus now displays a harmony of proportions emphasizing a timeless and remote dignity.

 

Well, here's dead Augustus in honor of the day!

 

Dead Dude...

AVGVSTVS DIVVS under Tiberius


RI Augustus DIVUS under Tiberius 22-23 CE Radiate Alter Left

 

Happy death day, Augustus! Here is one from Spain:


Ilici, Spain
Augustus Semis (Æ 22)
(c. 12 B.C.)
Q Papirius Car and Q Terentius Montanus, duoviri
DIVI F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / Q PAPIR · CAR· Q TER(E) · MON[T II VIR Q], tetrastyle temple, IVNONI in architrave, [C I] I A in columns.
RPC I, 192; SNG Cop 14.
(5.37 grams / 22 x 20 mm)
eBay April 2021

 

Not a lot of Augustus coins here. I kept hunting a Gaius & Lucius denarius but failed. There is time ...
Here are some of my Augustus coins

My 1st Augustus coin and I like coins with odd shapes.
AVGVST·TR·POT, laureate head of Augustus, r., ΕΛ in monogram under the head/S C, inscription in a laurel wreath of eight leaves
RPC I, 4261, AMC 745, McAlee 209b
Seleucis and Pieria, Syria, Antioch
4-5 AD
27 mm 8.76 g

My favorite

Bare head of Augustus, r. / ϹƐΒΑϹΤΟϹ, capricorn, l., with head turned back; monogram including ΖΚ
Mysia, Kyzikos
17 mm, 3.24 g

CAESAR AVGVST PONT MAX TRIBVNIC POT, head of Augustus, bare, right/ P LVRIVS AGRIPPA IIIVIR A A A F F. Legend surrounding S C

RIC I (second edition) Augustus 427

CAESAR AVGVST PONT MAX TRIBVNIC POT, head of Augustus, bare, right - countermarked/ M SALVIVS OTHO IIIVIR A A A F F, legend surrounding S C
RIC I (second edition) Augustus 431

 

Bronze As
Rome mint, A.D. 11-12
Obv: IMP CAESAR DIVI F AUGVSTVS IMP XX
Rev: PONTIF MAXIM TRIBVN POT XXXIII, encircling SC
RIC 471
26mm, 9.4g.

 

Augustus (27 BC-14 AD)
AR Tetradrachm
Syria-Antiochia ad Orontem
O: KAIΣAPOΣ ΣEB_AΣTOY, Laureate head right
R: ETOYΣ-ZK-NIKHΣ, Tyche seated right on rocks, palm branch in left hand, river god Orontes swimming right below, YPA monogram, IB / ANT monogram in right field Regnal Year 27 (5/4 BC), COS 12.
27mm
14.06g
Prieur 51; RPC 4152; McAlee 181
Ex David Hendin, 2004

Note: The ZK breaking the reverse legend is the regnal year 27, IB is for consulship 12. Minted in what is possibly the year of the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

The Sestertius, one of the classic roman denominations, was introduced under Augustus with this eastern issue:


AVGVSTVS - bare head of Augustus right / CA (within laurel wreath)
Orichalcum Sestertius, Pergamum 27-23 BC
34 mm / 24,91 gr
RIC 501; Cohen 791; BMCRE 713; RPC 2233; Howgego, “Coinage and Military Finance: the Imperial Bronze Coinage of the Augustan East”, in NC 1982, p. 7, Class 2a, pl. 1, 9

 

Live Augustus but dead Julius:

 

Ionia, Teos. Augustus AE16
Obv: ΣEBAΣTOΣ KTIΣTHΣ, bare head right.
Rev: THIΩN, Dionysos, wearing long robe, standing left, holding kantharos and thyrsos.
RPC 2512



Macedonia, Thessalonica. Augustus AE22
Obv: KAIΣAP ΣEBAΣTOΣ / Bare head r.
Rev: ΘEΣΣAΛONIKEΩN in wreath.



Sicily, Panormos. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14.
Obv: Bare head left.
Rev: Eagle standing left, head right.
RPC 640

 

AUGUSTUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CAESAR AVGVSTVS, head left wearing oak wreath
REVERSE: DIVVS-IVLIVS to left and right of eight rayed comet
with tail upwards
Uncertain Spanish Mint, possibly Caesaraugusta 19-18 BC
3.45g, 21mm
RIC 137b RSC 97

AUGUSTUS
Æ 31 Dupondius
OBVERSE: PERMISSV CAESARIS AVGVSTI, bare head left
REVERSE: COLONIA PATRICIA, aquila between legionary standards
Colonia Patricia (Cordoba - spain) 15-14 BC
18g, 31 mm
RPC 128, SNG Cop 464

 

Divus Augustus. Died AD 14. AE dupondius, Roma

Struck under Gaius (Caligula), AD 37-41.

Obverse: DIVVS•AVGVSTVS / S - C, Radiate bust of Divus Augustus left

Reverse: CONSENSV SENAT•ET•EQ•ORDIN•P•Q•R•, Augustus or Caligula seated left on curule chair, holding olive branch and globe.

RIC 56, Cohen 87, S.1811

RIP Augustus.

 

Two of my Augustan pieces are noteworthy. First is one of Octavian's early propaganda-pieces. After finally succeeding in cajoling the Senate into deifying Julius, in 38bc Octavian struck this piece -- one side is a portrait of Julius with "Iulius Divos" (Julius the God), and the other side is a portrait of Octavian with "Caesar DiviF" (Caesar, son of the God). The second piece is an Egyptian piece, the successor to the similar coins of Cleopatra 7, Pharaoh of Egypt . It was struck in or shortly after 30bc and heralds "Octavian, Pharaoh of Egypt". From that point, Egypt became the personal property of the Emperor of Rome. No Senator was allowed to go there without the personal permission of the Emperor.

 

A couple of well worn beauties.... due an upgrade someday.

 

Here's my only Augustus: