Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

2 BCE-4 CE

Roman; minted in Lugdunum (now Lyon, France)

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Augustus, facing right.

On the back (reverse), Caius Caesar and Lucius Caesar (born to Marcus Agrippa and Julia the Edler) are standing, each resting a hand on a shield. Two spears, a lituus (curved augural staff) and a simpulum (ladle with long handle) are between them. The brothers were adopted by Augustus (their grandfather) as joint-heirs but died at relatively young ages (21 and 18, respectively) before they could rule. This coin commemorates their appointments as consul designatus.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist: Ancient Roman
Title: Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus
Place: Italy (Minted in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 2 BCE–4 CE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F P[ATER PATRIAE] Reverse: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PR[INC IVVENT], C L CAESAR[ES] in exergue
Dimensions: Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze
Reference Number: 1923.1253
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/9954/manifest.json

Mrs. William Nelson (Helen T.) Pelouze (1866-1953), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1923.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.