Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS; Bust of the
Emperor Facing Right
Reverse: SIGNIS/RECEPTIS/S/P/Q/R; "CL V"
Inscribed on a Sheild, Flanked by a Legionary
Eagle on the Left and a Miltary Standard on the
Right
Augustus was born with the given name Gaius
Octavius Thurinus, great-nephew the famous
Roman dictator Julius Caesar. Although young
Augustus was in Apollonia, Epirus when Caesar
was assassinated on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.,
he quickly rushed back to Rome to claim his
rightful patrimony as the adopted heir of Caesar.
Soon after, he changed his name to Gaius Julius
Caesar Octavianus. Through an unprecedented
stroke of political mastery, the relatively
unknown Octavian was able to secure power by
crafting an alliance with the generals Marc
Antony and Marcus Lepidus. Together, they
formed the second Triumvirate to rule over
Rome. However, when Anthony ceded Roman
provinces to his children by his mistress,
Cleopatra of Egypt, Augustus declared war on
Anthony. By 31 A.D., the Roman navy had
delivered a crushing defeat to the combined
forces of Anthony and Cleopatra and Octavian
had become the undisputed ruler of the Roman
world. This fact was affirmed on January 16th,
27 B.C. when the Senate proclaimed Octavian to
be “Augustus,” or “the exalted.” They also
bestowed upon him control of Rome’s religious,
civil and military affairs, effectively making him
the first Roman Emperor. Under his rule, Rome
achieved a golden age of political, military, and
cultural triumph. Over a hundred years of civil
warring came to an end, the empire was
expanded, new roads connected distant
provinces, and literature flourished with the likes
of Virgil and Horace, two of the greatest Latin
writers. After his death, Augustus was
worshipped as a deity, revealing the profound
effects of his rule on the populace.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a memorial
to an emperor’s reign passed down from the
hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation, which still appears as
vibrant today as the day it was struck.
- (C.4248)
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