Augustus Copper As, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 230

Monetary Context

The establishment of the Altar series at Lugdunum occurred during a formative phase in the stabilization of the early Augustan monetary system. Following the monetary reforms of roughly 23 BC, bronze and orichalcum coinages were heavily produced in Rome under the supervision of senatorial moneyers, carrying the prominent mark S C (Senatus Consulto). However, the massive logistical demands of the Roman legions stationed along the Rhine frontier, combined with the gradual monetization of the northwestern provinces of Gaul and Germania, created an acute regional demand for base-metal fractional currency. Local Gallic coinages and residual Republican bronzes were insufficient to facilitate military pay, daily market transactions, and tax payments. To meet this economic need, Augustus instituted an extensive imperial branch mint at Lugdunum, an administrative crossroads of the Three Gauls. Unlike the issues struck at Rome, the Lugdunum aes coinage was produced directly under imperial oversight, completely omitting senatorial references. The as catalogued as RIC I (second edition) Augustus 230 was the standard fractional workhorse of this system, tariffed at one-sixteenth of a silver denarius or four sestertii to the denarius. Its broad dissemination provided uniform, official imperial small change throughout the western provinces, integrating frontier military camps and nascent civilian settlements into the overarching monetary economy of the principate.

Production and Mints

RIC I Augustus 230 was struck exclusively at the mint of Lugdunum, situated in modern Lyon. Lugdunum had already emerged as a premier mint for gold and silver issues supporting Augustus's western campaigns, and the addition of substantial base-metal production around 10 BC marked a significant expansion of its industrial capacity. The coin was struck in copper or a standard Roman bronze alloy, adhering to the traditional weight standard for the Augustan as, which generally targeted an average weight between 10.0 and 11.5 grams with a diameter typically spanning 25 to 28 millimeters. Surviving specimens demonstrate the immense scale of manufacture, characterized by a large number of observed die pairings and minor stylistic variations across dies, pointing to a large, organized workshop employing multiple engravers. The flans were cast prior to striking, exhibiting characteristic beveled edges or minor casting sprues on occasional specimens. Metallurgical analyses of contemporary Lugdunum base-metal coins indicate careful control of copper purity, distinguishing them from the orichalcum brass alloys reserved for sestertii and dupondii. Striking was executed with heavy iron dies, and the high output required rapid die replacement, which accounts for slight shifts in the arrangement of the altar decorations and lettering across the emission.

Obverse Design and Iconography

The obverse of RIC I Augustus 230 presents a classic, dignified portrait of the emperor facing right, adorned with a laurel wreath. Stylistically, the head reflects the classicizing Prima Porta idiom favored during the high Augustan principate, characterized by idealizing, youthful facial contours, calm features, and meticulously arranged locks of hair. The laurel wreath symbolizes Augustus's perpetual military triumph, civic preeminence, and close association with Apollo. Unlike earlier triumphal portraits that highlighted warlike aggression, this portrait conveys stability, gravitas, and divine favor. The truncated neck sits cleanly above an empty field, surrounded by a continuous marginal inscription starting from the lower left. The engraving across dies shows consistent attention to proportion, though minor variations exist in the rendering of the laurel ties falling behind the neck, with ribbons either straight, slightly curved, or terminating in small decorative loops. This portrait served as an unmistakable visual anchor, disseminating the standardized image of the first Roman emperor across military camps and civilian communities where personal view of the princeps was otherwise impossible.

Reverse Iconography: The Altar of the Three Gauls

The reverse provides a detailed architectural representation of the Altar of Roma and Augustus, dedicated at Condate at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers on the Kalends of August in 10 BC (or 12 BC according to some historical sources) by Drusus the Elder. The altar structure occupies the center of the field, raised upon a substantial plinth and base. The front panel of the altar is richly decorated, typically displaying a civic crown (corona civica) of oak leaves flanked by laurel branches and stylized nude male figures or sacrificial motifs. Flanking the central altar are two tall architectural columns, each surmounted by a statue of a winged Victory facing inward toward the altar, each holding a celebratory laurel wreath and a palm branch. This complex decorative program honored the joint cult of the goddess Roma and the living princeps, designed explicitly as a unifying focus for the sixty Gallic tribes gathered at the sanctuary. The numismatic depiction rendered this monumental provincial cult center instantly recognizable, communicating the religious and civic solidarity between Gaul and the Roman state.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The inscriptions on RIC I Augustus 230 are concise, carrying specific legal and religious weight. The obverse legend reads CAESAR PONT MAX, running clockwise along the border. The title CAESAR functions as the personal dynastic designation of the emperor, while PONT MAX abbreviates Pontifex Maximus, the supreme head of the Roman state religion. Augustus was elected to this prestigious lifelong priesthood in March of 12 BC following the death of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, providing a decisive terminus post quem for the series. Notably absent are Augustus's tribunician numbers or the title Pater Patriae (conferred in 2 BC), reinforcing the early dating of the issue. The reverse legend in the exergue beneath the altar reads ROM ET AVG, an abbreviation of Romae et Augusto ('To Roma and Augustus'). This dedication explicitly names the divine recipient of the sanctuary's cult, affirming the ideological partnership between the eternal city of Rome and the ruling princeps. The lettering is rendered in clear, classical Roman epigraphic capitals, neatly fitted within the circular flan borders without punctuation stops between the words.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the framework of the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC I), type 230 represents the initial, definitive base-metal as emission of the First Altar series, dated to circa 10 BC to 6 BC. It is typologically distinguished from later Altar issues struck under Augustus and Tiberius by its specific legend combination and portrait features. Later issues of the series, such as the Second Altar series (RIC I Augustus 231A through 245), introduce altered reverse drapery and updated imperial titulature, including the title PATER PATRIAE awarded in 2 BC, or the name of Tiberius as Caesar. Similarly, RIC I 230 is differentiated from earlier Lugdunum bronzes that bore the heads of Julius Caesar and Augustus, or coins with the imperial altar that include moneyers' names. Typological studies by modern numismatists, including C.H.V. Sutherland and J.-B. Giard, demonstrate that RIC I 230 was struck over several years in significant volume, laying the ideological and artistic template for base-metal provincial issues that continued well into the Julio-Claudian era.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

RIC I Augustus 230 circulated extensively throughout the western provinces of the Roman Empire, leaving a substantial archaeological footprint. Excavations across Roman legionary fortresses and frontier settlements along the Rhine and Danube rivers, such as Haltern, Oberaden, Kalkriese, and Mainz, consistently yield specimens of this type, often showing extensive wear indicative of decades in active circulation. The type also penetrated deeply into civilian markets across northern and central Gaul, Britain (predominantly after the Claudian invasion of AD 43), and the Iberian peninsula. Because of high regional demand and occasional shortages of small change, these asses were frequently countermarked by military authorities to revalidate worn coins or to indicate distribution to specific legions. In many provincial contexts, specimens of RIC I 230 are found deliberately halved or quartered, creating emergency fractional denominations equivalent to semisses and quadrantes. The enduring presence of this type in mid-first-century AD hoards confirms its vital function as dependable everyday currency long after the reign of Augustus had concluded.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 92-94
2. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, I: Auguste. pp. 238-241
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 230. RIC I (2nd ed.) Augustus 230
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 52-54, no. 230