2100 | Roman Empire

Automatically generated translation

OCTAVIO. Golden. (Au. G / mm). 27 BC-AD 14 Lugdunum. (RIC 223). F. Very rare specimen.

On Cayo Octavio Turino falls the privilege of being the first Roman Emperor. Known in his early years as Octavian, and from 27 BC as Caesar Augustus, under his mandate the so-called Pax Augusta began, a period of more than two hundred years of relative stability that allowed the Empire to achieve economic development and territorial expansion without precedents. The coin at this time obeys an official and realistic model with a bust (only head and neck) always in profile, due to the technical ease at the time of its realization. It also presents little or no evolution in terms of the reflection of the passage of time as regards the face, which gives us a clear idea of the attempt to ideally represent the image of the emperor. The scene depicted on the reverse, Tiberius on his triumphal chariot, was widely depicted on coins and in all kinds of arts, helping to consolidate the image as heir to Caesar Augustus.