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Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

2 BCE-4 CE

Artist:

Roman; minted in Lugdunum (now Lyon, France)

About this artwork

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

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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