Augustus Aureus, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 107B

Monetary Context and Historical Setting

During the middle teens BC, Augustus initiated extensive reforms across the monetary system of the early Roman Empire, establishing a unified tri-metallic standard based on gold, silver, and base metals. The aureus served as the foundational unit and apex of imperial precious-metal accounting, fixed at an exchange value of twenty-five silver denarii or one hundred sestertii. At this early stage of Augustan governance, Rome itself was not yet the primary producer of imperial gold coinage; precious-metal minting in the capital had lapsed following the civil wars, being briefly revived for silver and copper alloy by urban moneyers. To meet enormous provincial military payrolls, civic foundations, and colonial reorganizations following the settlement of the Cantabrian Wars in northern Spain, significant imperial gold and silver series were struck in the western provinces. The issue represented by RIC I (second edition) Augustus 107B belongs to this transformative phase, wherein state currency served both as high-value transactional bullion and as a mobile medium for broadcasting imperial legitimacy, senatorial consensus, and military supremacy throughout the Roman world.

Production and Mint Attribution

RIC I (second edition) Augustus 107B is attributed by modern scholarship to the mint of Colonia Patricia, identified as modern Cordoba in Hispania Baetica. In earlier numismatic literature, notably in the pioneering studies of Count Borghesi and the initial 1923 edition of the Roman Imperial Coinage, these distinctive western gold and silver issues were often credited to regional military mints moving with Augustus or to Caesaraugusta. However, detailed stylistic and die analyses conducted by Harold Mattingly and later revised definitively by C. H. V. Sutherland confirmed that Colonia Patricia was the central administrative mint responsible for this vast, cohesive series between circa 19 BC and 16 BC. The workshop employed exceptionally skilled engravers, likely dispatched from the eastern Mediterranean or Rome, who produced refined, classicizing portraits characterized by elegant relief and delicate hair treatment. The gold flans were cast with precision and struck according to an unreduced Augustan weight standard of approximately one-fortieth of a Roman pound (averaging around 7.8 to 7.9 grams), maintaining exceptionally high fineness exceeding ninety-nine percent pure gold.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of type 107B presents a left-facing, laureate head of Augustus. This direction distinguishes the type from the right-facing variant cataloged as RIC 107A. In Augustan portrait typology, this rendering reflects the classicizing Prima Porta style, in which the princeps is depicted in an idealized, ageless state rather than through the harsh verism characteristic of late Republican coin portraiture. The features are smooth and proportionate, showing a prominent aquiline nose, neatly arranged locks of hair bound with a delicate laurel wreath, and a dignified facial expression. The laurel wreath directly recalled the corona triumphalis and the senatorial honours voted to Augustus in 27 BC, associating the ruler with continual victory and divine favor while presenting him as an immortalized guardian of the Roman commonwealth.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC 107B features a slow four-horse chariot (quadriga) progressing to the right. The vehicle represented is not a standard racing chariot, but an ornate triumphal carriage or tensa, characterized by an elaborately decorated panel. The side of the carriage box is adorned with low-relief relief decoration showing four miniature horses galloping across the surface and an imperial aquila (legionary eagle). This triumphal imagery is intimately connected to the diplomatic triumphs celebrated in Rome in 20 and 19 BC, most notably the recovery of the lost legionary standards and captive soldiers from Parthia. By depicting the ceremonial quadriga, the coinage reminded recipients of the peaceful victory won without war, celebrating the restoration of Roman military honor through imperial diplomacy and senatorial consensus.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The legends on RIC 107B are concise, legible, and highly charged with political significance. The obverse legend reads CAESARI AVGVSTO, cast in the dative case. This grammatical form indicates that the coin, or the honorific imagery it bears, is dedicated 'to Caesar Augustus' by the state or its minting authorities. It reinforces the reciprocal relationship between the princeps and the Roman populace. The reverse legend consists of the traditional Republican abbreviation S P Q R (Senatus Populusque Romanus), typically positioned in the exergue beneath the ground line of the quadriga. By placing the authority of the Senate and Roman People on the reverse beside the triumphal carriage, the legend confirms constitutional legitimacy for Augustus's honors and underscores that his prestige derived from legal decrees granted by the traditional governing bodies of the Republic.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology established by C. H. V. Sutherland in the revised 1984 edition of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I, type 107 is divided into distinct directional varieties based on the portrait orientation: 107A features the laureate head facing right, whereas 107B features the laureate head facing left. Both varieties share the same reverse design of the slow quadriga right with horses and aquila. Closely related denarii and aurei produced at Colonia Patricia during the same production cycle in 18 BC carry complementary reverse motifs, including shields of valor (clipeus virtutis), civic crowns, and temple facades dedicated to Mars Ultor. Sutherland established the absolute dating of this group to 18 BC on the basis of stylistic development, associated dated tribunician inscriptions from neighboring parallel issues, and the imperial administrative calendar following the reorganization of the Spanish provinces after the pacification campaigns.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

As high-denomination gold coins, aurei of RIC 107B did not circulate widely in daily, low-level commercial retail. Instead, they served in state-level fiscal transfers, substantial commercial transactions, long-distance trade settlements, and as private stores of wealth. Because of their intrinsic metallic purity and standard weight, Augustan aurei remained in active circulation or treasuries for decades, frequently surviving until the extensive debasements and monetary reforms of Nero in AD 64, after which older, heavier gold pieces were systematically withdrawn and reminted. Specimens of the Colonia Patricia gold issues have been discovered in precious-metal hoards across the Iberian Peninsula, Gaul, Italy, and along the Rhine frontier, reflecting the movement of legionary pay and state officials across the western provinces. Extant specimens of the left-facing variety (107B) are rare compared to the right-facing variety (107A), making this catalog type an important and carefully studied variety within early imperial numismatics.

References

1. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, tome I: Auguste. nos. 995-1002
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 64-67
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 107B. ric.1(2).aug.107B
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 44-45, no. 107B