Augustus Aureus, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277

Monetary and Political Context

The issue designated as RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277 was struck during one of the most consequential moments in Roman history. In January of 27 BC, Octavian staged the formal restoration of the Republic (res publica restituta), surrendering monarchic military commands and dictatorial authority to the Senate and Roman people. In return, the Senate conferred upon him unprecedented civic accolades, including the august name Augustus on January 16, 27 BC. Alongside this name, senatorial decree established that laurel branches should flank the portal of his house on the Palatine Hill, while an oak wreath, the corona civica, was suspended above the doorway in honor of his having saved the lives of Roman citizens during the civil wars. The gold aureus occupied the pinnacle of the Roman monetary system, functioning not as daily small-change currency, but as a premier vehicle for high-value state payments, military bounties, diplomatic gifts, and substantial reserves of private wealth. Struck in exceptionally pure gold, the aureus commanded universal trust and served as an ideal medium to broadcast the constitutional rhetoric of the new regime. By embodying the senatorial decrees of early 27 BC, this coin issue articulated the ideological foundations of the Augustan Principate, presenting the ruler not as an autocrat, but as the premier citizen and protector of the state.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

Gold coinage under Augustus operated on an exacting metallurgical and metrological standard inherited from late Republican precedents. The typical Augustan aureus was struck at approximately forty to forty-two coins per Roman pound (libra), yielding an intended theoretical mass between 7.80 and 7.95 grams with a gold purity exceeding ninety-eight percent. The execution of the dies for RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277 displays exceptional artistic skill, consistent with the finest master engravers working under official direction. Despite the clear senatorial messaging, the exact workshop responsible for striking this issue remains a subject of ongoing numismatic investigation. In earlier nineteenth- and twentieth-century studies, scholars frequently attributed this series to the mint of Rome, given the prominent senatorial formula S C on the reverse. However, C. H. V. Sutherland in the revised edition of Roman Imperial Coinage designated the workshop as an uncertain mint, noting stylistic and structural parallels that might connect the dies to northern or eastern Mediterranean traveling operations, or alternatively an early phase of provincial gold striking prior to the permanent centralization of imperial gold coinage at Lugdunum. While the Roman urban mint remains an attractive hypothesis for many authorities due to the intimate reflection of metropolitan decrees, numismatic consensus maintains an attribution to an uncertain official mint.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277 features a sensitive, classical portrait showing the bare head of Augustus facing right. The treatment of the portrait represents a decisive departure from the dramatic, agitated Hellenistic dynamic typical of triumviral issues. Instead, the engraver adopts a calm, idealized classicism characterized by smooth planes, a firm jawline, and neatly combed locks of hair, inaugurating the iconic portrait language that came to define Augustan official art. The absence of any diadems, laurel wreaths, or military headgear on the obverse is highly deliberate. By presenting the princeps with a bare head, the imagery underlines his constitutional role as a civil magistrate rather than a Hellenistic king or supreme warlord. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription CAESAR COS VII CIVIBVS SERVATEIS, framing the serene portrait within a direct reference to his constitutional magistracy and the salvation of the Roman citizenry.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the coin is dominated by a powerful, multi-layered visual assembly of the honors granted by the Senate in January 27 BC. At the center, an eagle stands facing with spread wings and its head turned to the left. The eagle perches directly upon an oak wreath (corona civica), while two upright laurel branches emerge in the background behind the wreath. At the top of the field, the new cognomen AVGVSTVS is blazoned horizontally, complemented by the letters S C placed below or beside the central device. Each element of this composition carries profound political and religious significance. The eagle, the sacred bird of Jupiter Optimus Maximus and the paramount emblem of Roman military might, acts as an intermediary connecting divine sanction with earthly authority. The oak wreath represents the corona civica, traditionally awarded under the Republic to a soldier who had preserved the life of a fellow citizen in battle; the Senate granted this wreath to Augustus for ending the civil wars and rescuing the entire commonwealth. The laurel branches represent the twin laurels planted outside his Palatine residence as emblems of permanent victory, virtue, and sacred protection. Together, the elements form a unified statement of divine favor and civic devotion.

Epigraphy and Legends

The legends on both faces of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277 are cut with sharp, disciplined epigraphic lettering. The obverse legend reads CAESAR COS VII CIVIBVS SERVATEIS. The title CAESAR establishes dynastic legitimacy through his adoption by Julius Caesar. COS VII indicates his seventh consulship, a date that securely anchors the striking of the issue to 27 BC, when he held this office alongside Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. The phrase CIVIBVS SERVATEIS employs the archaic Latin spelling with the diphthong -EI- (servateis instead of servatis), an intentional archaism frequently favored in formal Augustan public inscriptions to emphasize venerable antiquity and religious dignity. The dative or ablative construction proclaims the preservation of the citizens. The reverse inscription divides the authoritative formula between the emperor's newly acquired honorific and senatorial sanction: AVGVSTVS S C. The title AVGVSTVS, derived from augere (to increase) and associated with the sacred auguries of Rome's founding, replaces the older triumviral titulature. The letters S C represent Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'). Its presence on a precious-metal coin is relatively rare during the early Principate, serving here not to designate senatorial mint control, but rather to confirm that the honors depicted on the coin were bestowed by solemn decree of the Senate.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Chronologically, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277 is tied specifically to the immediate aftermath of the constitutional settlement of January 27 BC. The combination of the seventh consulship (COS VII) and the title Augustus restricts the issue to the year 27 BC itself, as subsequent years introduced later consular counts or different title configurations. Within the typology of early imperial coinage, this aureus belongs to a specialized group of celebration issues struck in both gold and silver (such as denarii sharing related themes). While denarii of this period frequently distributed the honors across multiple reverse types, showing the corona civica alone or the laurel trees flanking the door, this aureus unifies the full suite of honors: the eagle of Jupiter, the oak wreath, the Palatine laurels, and the senatorial dedication. It is distinguished from later western aurei of similar design, such as those struck in Hispania around 19 to 18 BC, by its specific consular dating formula (COS VII) and the presence of the explicit S C marker.

Circulation, Function, and Survival

As an aureus struck during the transitional year 27 BC, this coin had a circulation lifecycle very different from bronze or base-silver currency. Aurei rarely circulated freely in market transactions, instead moving through high-level administrative channels. They were issued to reward high-ranking officers, distribute initial grants to favored institutions, or serve as treasury reserves. Due to the high intrinsic value of gold, many contemporary holders hoarded such specimens during moments of economic or political uncertainty. Surviving examples of RIC 277 are scarce, reflecting both a limited, ceremonial production run and the systematic melting of older gold coinage during later currency recoinages, particularly under Nero and the Flavians. Extant specimens preserved in institutional cabinets frequently demonstrate moderate wear or minor edge marks, confirming that while these coins functioned as commemorative manifestos, they also saw active use within elite commerce and hoarding deposits across the Roman world.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 107-108, nos. 656-658
2. The Roman Aurei: An Exhaustive Catalogue of Roman Aurei. Vol. 1, p. 43
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 277. ric.1(2).aug.277
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). p. 61, no. 277