THE BIRTH OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE TOLD THROUGH THE FIRST CENTURY B.C. COINS
Historiographic convention establishes the year 27 B.C. as the moment in which Octavian assumed the titles of Princeps and Augustus and the year the Roman Empire was founded; a date that actually represents the conclusion of a long process of attrition of Republican institutions begun approximately half a century beforehand. Analysis of the coins issued over these decades reveals that it is probably the most interesting period in Roman history and certainly the most important from a numismatic perspective. Until this moment, Republican monetisation, founded on the denarius, had been defined by its highly varied iconography in which the prevailing subjects were the deities of the Roman Olympiad and characters from historical and mythological tradition in some cases. The first example of discontinuity, both political and numismatic, occurred under Silla. He assumed the title Dictator after two decades of civil war and had himself depicted on horseback on the reverse of one of the first aurei. Silla was the first person to break a political system that had remained unchanged for over 400 years in 80 B.C. and, furthermore, never before had a living Roman political exponent had his effigy put on a coin, the first break with the monetary traditions of the Roman Republic.
The following step occurred with the first triumvirate of Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar in 60 B.C. While politically the system took definitive steps towards shifting power from the Senate to the Princeps, it was not until after the death of Caesar that there were any significant numismatic changes towards the Imperial monetary system (although Caesar was certainly not restrained in using coins to celebrate his military successes).
The second and most important aspect was without a doubt the introduction of the portrait onto coins. While Caesar’s face did not appear on coins until after his death (contrary to what most people think, he was a firm believer in Republican institutions and traditions), coins bearing the profiles of the various political and military protagonists of the time would later proliferate. There are many examples of Mark Antony, whose deeds are extraordinarily narrated by the coins that depict him: with Julius Cesar on the denari issued immediately after the death of the Dictator; together with Octavian during the Triumvirate; with Octavia, his wife and Octavian’s sister when his relationship with the future Augustus seemed to have deteriorated definitively; and, perhaps the most famous, with Cleopatra when his split with Caesar’s heir became irreconcilable.
The same was true of Octavian, who initially seized the opportunity to use coins to remind the public of his family ties with Julius Caesar and in this way legitimise his ascent to power. There are numerous releases that see him along with his adopted father only for him to distance himself when he alone became the representation of the Roman spirit and coins became the best and most incisive propaganda tool for the future emperor. Most importantly, it was under Octavian that the aureus became a regular coin and constituted the heart of what would be the Imperial monetary system, which would also see the appearance of bronze (or aurichalcum) among the metals used. However, the most symbolic coin of this age is the Ides of March denarius. The year is 43 B.C. and the conspirators have just stabbed Julius Caesar to death, triggering yet another civil war. Brutus and Cassius are at the head of a large army and the legionaries have to be paid somehow, so the two generals organise a travelling mint to transform silver into cash. Brutus naturally made the most of the opportunity to bear testimony to his role in the murder of his adopted father and in what he considered the liberation of Rome; he minted a coin with his profile on the obverse and a genuine political and propaganda manifesto on the reverse: two daggers, the murder weapons, the famous pileus hat of freedom, and the date of the conspiracy. These features are what make this coin the most famous in history.
Yet again, coins prove themselves to be faithful chroniclers of historical events, if not protagonists themselves. The examples that we present at auction are certainly a chance to enrich any collection but also to read and relive history in a different and exciting way. The next appointment on 7 and 8 June will carry on this tradition with a series of prestigious coins that will once more enable us to ‘experience’ distant ages.
by Gabriele Tonello
The following step occurred with the first triumvirate of Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar in 60 B.C. While politically the system took definitive steps towards shifting power from the Senate to the Princeps, it was not until after the death of Caesar that there were any significant numismatic changes towards the Imperial monetary system (although Caesar was certainly not restrained in using coins to celebrate his military successes).
The second and most important aspect was without a doubt the introduction of the portrait onto coins. While Caesar’s face did not appear on coins until after his death (contrary to what most people think, he was a firm believer in Republican institutions and traditions), coins bearing the profiles of the various political and military protagonists of the time would later proliferate. There are many examples of Mark Antony, whose deeds are extraordinarily narrated by the coins that depict him: with Julius Cesar on the denari issued immediately after the death of the Dictator; together with Octavian during the Triumvirate; with Octavia, his wife and Octavian’s sister when his relationship with the future Augustus seemed to have deteriorated definitively; and, perhaps the most famous, with Cleopatra when his split with Caesar’s heir became irreconcilable.
The same was true of Octavian, who initially seized the opportunity to use coins to remind the public of his family ties with Julius Caesar and in this way legitimise his ascent to power. There are numerous releases that see him along with his adopted father only for him to distance himself when he alone became the representation of the Roman spirit and coins became the best and most incisive propaganda tool for the future emperor. Most importantly, it was under Octavian that the aureus became a regular coin and constituted the heart of what would be the Imperial monetary system, which would also see the appearance of bronze (or aurichalcum) among the metals used. However, the most symbolic coin of this age is the Ides of March denarius. The year is 43 B.C. and the conspirators have just stabbed Julius Caesar to death, triggering yet another civil war. Brutus and Cassius are at the head of a large army and the legionaries have to be paid somehow, so the two generals organise a travelling mint to transform silver into cash. Brutus naturally made the most of the opportunity to bear testimony to his role in the murder of his adopted father and in what he considered the liberation of Rome; he minted a coin with his profile on the obverse and a genuine political and propaganda manifesto on the reverse: two daggers, the murder weapons, the famous pileus hat of freedom, and the date of the conspiracy. These features are what make this coin the most famous in history.
Yet again, coins prove themselves to be faithful chroniclers of historical events, if not protagonists themselves. The examples that we present at auction are certainly a chance to enrich any collection but also to read and relive history in a different and exciting way. The next appointment on 7 and 8 June will carry on this tradition with a series of prestigious coins that will once more enable us to ‘experience’ distant ages.
by Gabriele Tonello