DI-179 | RIC I (SE) Augustus 272
Augustus
Augustus

Dynasty: Julio-Claudian
Emperor: Augustus
Authority: Caesar Augustus
Date and mint: 29 BC/27 BC - Italy


Obverse: Head of Apollo, laureate, right
Legend:

Reverse: Octavian, veiled and draped, driving a yoke of oxen right, whip in left hand.
Legend: IMP CAESAR

Comment: The gens Julia was one of Rome's most important patrician families, claiming descent from Aeneas and the goddess Venus. Gaius Julius Caesar raised the family to supreme power, and his heir Octavian, later Augustus, consolidated the Roman Empire and gave the Julian line divine status. Octavian, known as Caesar Augustus after his victory at Actium in 31 BC, was responsible for this issue. Although he had not yet adopted the title Augustus when the coin was struck (30-29 BC), he was already the undisputed ruler of Rome after the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. After Actium, Octavian reorganized the Roman state, formally restoring some authority to the Senate while retaining effective control. The obverse shows Apollo, god of light, the arts and reason, with features recalling Octavian and emphasizing the divine protection he claimed, especially after Actium. The reverse, with Octavian ploughing with a yoke of oxen, evokes the ritual marking of a new city's boundaries. According to Sear, it may refer to the foundation of Nicopolis in Epirus near Octavian's camp, though it may also symbolize the refoundation of Rome after the civil wars.

Provenance: Helios Numismatik (2009)
Price: 6,000 €