12 Caesars: Augustus

Augustus Caesar (Octavian)



Augustus Caesar’s reign began an era of (relative) peace that has become known as Pax Romana (The Roman Peace). This is a bit of a misnomer since wars expanding the empire continued to be fought on the empire’s frontiers, but for Roman civilians it was indeed a peaceful time. He controlled the Roman Empire for 40 years – from 27 BC to his death in 14 AD.

He was born in 63 BC as Gaius Octavius of the old and wealthy, albeit plebeian, Octavii family. After his father died when Octavian was four, he was raised by his grandmother Julius Caesaris (who was Julius Caesar’s sister) since his stepfather (a Roman consul) Lucius Philippus had little interest in raising Octavian. However, when his grandmother died in 52 or 51 BC, his mother and stepfather became actively involved in his upbringing.

By the time he was 17, Octavian had been elected to the College of Pontiffs, put in charge of the Greek games staged in honor of the Temple of Venus Genetrix, eventually joining Julius Caesar’s military efforts in Hispania fighting the forces of Pompey, crossing hostile territory to reach Caesar’s camp. This latter effort greatly impressed Caesar, and when he returned to Rome, Caesar modified his will to name Octavian as his main beneficiary.

After he defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Actium (see The Imperatorial Period), Augustus was in a position to consolidate and rule the entire Republic. This was a tricky proposition, though: on the one hand, he couldn’t appear to be aspiring to be a dictator and run the Republic as a monarch; on the other hand, he would risk future civil wars if he simply gave up his authority.

He accomplished this gradually, starting by returning full power to the Roman Senate and relinquishing control of the provinces and their armies. In reality, his immense wealth allowed him to retain effective control through patronage, while active soldiers as well as veterans remained loyal to him. Eventually, the Senate returned control of the provinces to him, and along with that control went the control of most of Rome’s legions. Augustus was in essence a monarch.

Augustus had divorced his first wife Scribonia and married Livia in 38 BC, when she was pregnant with her second chilled Nero Claudius Drusus. Scribonia had given birth to Augustus’ daughter Julia, and Livia had given birth to her son Tiberius in 42 BC. Livia’s first husband had fought with Marcus Antonius against Octavian; clearly, Livia knew where her future lay.

During Augustus’ reign, the Roman Empire was extended to include Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Noricum, Raetia, expanded areas in Africa and Germany, and completing the conquest of Hispania. He also negotiated peace with the Parthian empire via diplomacy.

Domestically his rule was equally extensive and beneficial. In addition to reforming the Roman system of taxation, he created a system of roads that supported an official courier system, established both a standing army as well as the Praetorian Guard, and used his immense wealth to fund public works projects benefitting all the citizens of Rome.

Augustus lived to the age of 75, dying in 14 AD. It’s uncertain if he died from natural causes or was poisoned by his wife Livia, who was impatient to see her son Tiberius as Roman Emperor. Suetonius portrays his death as benign, surrounded by family:

“Then he sent them all off, and while he was asking some newcomers from the city about the daughter of Drusus, who was ill, he suddenly passed away as he was kissing Livia, uttering these last words: "Live mindful of our wedlock, Livia, and farewell," thus blessed with an easy death and such a one as he had always longed for.”

But in the great BBC series I, Claudius, Livia is clearly portrayed as poisoning Augustus, going so far as to paint poison directly onto figs growing on live trees, since Augustus would only eat food he himself had chosen.

About the Coins



When Augustus finally consolidated his rule, according to RIC:

"... coinage had consisted, in its final stages, of a flood of silver denarii with intermittent aurei, supported by a token coinage of bronze which had become irregular in both weight and output; this aes, in fact, had not been produced at Rome since c.80 BC, succeeding decades having had to rely partly upon the remains of earlier aes issues."

Augustus systematized Roman coinage and established the large orichalcum sestertius as its foundation, but never struck portrait sestertii at Rome during his lifetime. Portrait sestertii instead were struck mainly at Lugdunum (modern day Lyon), where Augustus erected the famous altar of the cult of Rome and Augustus. The sestertii and asses both contained this altar on their reverses.

Bronzes of Augustus can be hard to find. Although struck in great quantities, these bronzes saw heavy circulation and few survive today in other than heavily worn condition. My Augustus sestertius an upgrade from my original example of this type, with the altar well preserved but the ROM ET AVG legend in somewhat lesser condition.

Let’s see everyone’s Augustus coins!

 

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Thanks for another great writeup, Ides. Tremendous coins, as usual. Hard to pick a favorite, but that ex Biaggi aureus is really eye-popping.

A denarius from the fairly short-lived moneyer's series...


And an as could do with a better pic.

 

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.


KINGS of THRACE, Sapaian. Rhoemetalces I, with Pythodoris, Augustus, and Livia (Late 1st century BC-AD)
Æ 27
O: Heads of Augustus, laureate, and Livia, conjoined right; to right, capricorn right, holding globe.
R: Diademed head of Rhoemetalces and draped bust of Pythodoris, conjoined right.
27mm
13.8g
Youroukova 182-4, 186; RPC I 1708


Augustus, with Gaius Caesar, ( 27 B.C - 14 A.D.)
Phrygia, Apamea.
Gaius Masonius Rufus, Magistrate
Ӕ20
O: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ, laureate head right.
R: ΓΑΙΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΓΑΙΟΣ ΜΑΣΩΝΙΟΣ ΡΟΥΦΟΣ ΑΠAΜΕΩΝ, Gaius Caesar in facing quadriga.
20mm
4.46g
RPC 3129


Tiberius (14 - 34 A.D.)
AR Tetradrachm
EGYPT, Alexandria
O: [TI]BERIOS KAISAR SEBASTOS, laureate head of Tiberius right; LID (date) in right field.
R: QEOS SEBASTOS, radiate head of Augustus left.
EGYPT, Alexandria Mint, year 14=27/28 A.D.
13.43g
23mm
RPC I 5090; Milne 54; Emmett 61


Mark Antony and Octavian (41 B.C.)
AR Denarius
M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore
O: Bare head of Mark Antony right.
R: Bare head of Octavian right, wearing slight beard.
Ephesus mint, Spring-early summer 41 B.C.
3.5g
20mm
Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; Sydenham 1181

 

AUGUSTUS:


RI Augustus 27BC-AD14 Æ20 5.5g 12h Apameia Phrygia Magistrate Attalos c 15BC Two corn-ears above maeander pattern RPC I, 3125 SCARCE


Octavian as Augustus LEFT-Sinister 27 BC–14 AD Quinarius Emerita 25-23 AR 13.5mm 1.79g - P CARISI LEG Victory trophy C 387. RIC 1b SCARCE

Same as above, except right facing bust

RImp Augustus AR Quin Emerita Augusta Victory S 1642


RI Augustus AR Denarius struck 2 BC-14 AD Caius and Lucius Caesars stdg shield spear S 1578 NGC4276216-007

 

AUGUSTUS
AE As
OBVERSE: DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER, radiate head left
REVERSE: S-C either side of large altar, PROVIDENT in ex.
Rome 22-30 AD
10.5g, 28mm
RIC I (Tiberius) 81

AUGUSTUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CAESAR AVGVSTVS - Bare head right
REVERSE: OB/CIVIS/ SERVATOS - Legend in three lines within oak-wreath, ties inward
Colonia Patricia mint 19 BC
3.3g, 17mm
RIC 77A, C208

AUGUSTUS
AE Quadran
OBVERSE: SISENNA MESSALLA IIIVIR, altar
REVERSE: APRONIVS GALLVS AAAFF around SC
Rome 5 BC , Moneyers Apronius, Galus, Messalla, and Sisena
3.0g, 17mm
RIC 463 or 200 in Old RIC

 

Some more Augustus

His Wife:

RI Alexandria Livia, w 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

His Daughter:

Judaea Pontius Pilate - Prutah IOYLIA KAICAPOC daughter of Caesar Augustus

A Croc:

RI Augustus oak crown -Agrippa rostral crown L AE Dupondius 26mm 12.6g 10-14 CE Nemausus chained Croc wreaths RIC I 158

Dead:

RI Augustus DIVUS under Tiberius 22-23 CE Radiate Alter

 

Beautiful coins! Your Augustus aureus is one of my favorites of yours: the style of the obverse and "motion" that the engraver managed to capture on the reverse are phenomenal.

 

Years ago I had an extensive collection of Augustan coins -- now I just have a few that I kept for their historical significance. Here are two:


Aureus - Augustus - RIC 206 (c. AD 1) - Lugdunum.
Reverse: Grandsons Caius and Lucius Caesar as Princes of Youth with shields and spears.


Denarius - Augustus - RIC 38b (17 BC) - Spain (Colonial).
Reverse: Comet of Divine Julius Caesar (?)

 

Great write up @IdesOfMarch01 and your coins are of the highest quality as always.

Here is my less impressive but still much loved example of Augustus!

 

@IdesOfMarch01, what a super write-up, thanks! Here's a pair of denarii issued in 16 BC by L. Vinicius L.f. Moneyer to honor Augustus for financing restoration of the roads.

AR denarius 3.39 gm - 20 mm
Obv. AVGVSTVS TR. POT. VIII. Bare head right.
Rev. L. VINICIVS L.F. III VIR around cippus inscribed SPQR/IMP. CAE/QVOD.V/M.S.EX/EA.P.QIS/AD.A.DE.


AR denarius (19.50 mm, 3.72 g, 8 h)
Obv: Equestrian statue of Augustus riding right on a low square pedestal inscribed S.P.Q.R/IMP/CAES in three lines; all before city wall with arched entrance.
Rev: Cippus inscribed S.P.Q.R./IMP.CAE/QVOD.V/M.S.EX/EA.P.QIS/AD.A.DE in six lines.

 

This thread is awesome! Amazing coins!

 

thread is so good, that i dont know what to post lol
suchs beautyfull coins

 

I'm almost ashamed to post this after seeing some of the great examples posted on this thread.



Maybe I can distract people from staring at my humble example for too long with Bugs Bunny tap dancing. People love that wacky wabbit and they also love tap dancing. Yeah, that may just work....

 

all most famous coin From August with sons

 

Awesome thread and so many gorgeous coins!!!

Two of mine---an Imperial and Provincial issue:



....and the one that slipped through my fingers....again

 

Such nice coins everyone. The variety amazes me.

 

Great coins everyone!

 

A very engaging read and wonderful coins, Ides! Kudos and thank you for an excellent thread.

 

Excellent writeup @IdesOfMarch01 , and superb coins. I only have one coin of Augustus.