Semis of Augustus

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, or as he would rather be called, Augustus, was the first Roman Emperor after the fall of the Roman Republic and the resulting civil wars. After being declared heir by his uncle Julius Caesar (who started the civil war) in 44 BC, Octavian embarked upon a campaign to defeat Caesar’s assassins Brutus and Cassius and then consolidated total control by defeating Caesar’s “right-hand man” Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. After becoming master of the Roman Empire, he was named Augustus or “Revered One” by the Senate in 27 BC.

A consummate political actor, he transformed the Roman world from an oligarchical Republic to a sole-rule monarchical Empire. During his reign, he balanced imagery of the mortal and the divine by calling himself simply “Princeps” or “First Citizen” yet projecting absolute power in coinage and statues.

The obverse on the coin shows the immortal bust of Augustus (who was at least 70 years old at the time). It references numerous titles heaped upon him (certainly not requested) by the Senate, including “Son of a God” and “Father of Our Country.”

The reverse shows the altar in the “Sanctuary of the Three Gauls” in Lugdunum, where annual gatherings of Gallic chiefs were held to reaffirm their loyalty to Rome. The site remains at the Gallo-Romano Museum in Lyon, France. The inscription on the altar, “ROM ET AVG” is notable in that Suetonius comments that Augustus (in his humility and moderation) would not accept temples in his own name “even in a province, except those jointly in his name and that of Rome” (Augustus 52).

After his death in 14 AD, his adopted son Tiberius became the second Emperor, and the republic indeed died. Augustus was buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, which still stands in the Campus Martius.