Augustus Gold Aureus, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 135

Monetary and Political Context

The introduction of this gold aureus in 18 BC to 17 BC occurred during an important structural transition in early Roman imperial coinage. Following the constitutional settlements of 27 BC and 23 BC, Augustus maintained an acute awareness of the necessity of stabilizing the monetary system while disseminating ideological themes to both the legions and the wider populace. Gold issues struck in the western provinces were designed to meet massive state expenditures, veterans' settlements, and administrative costs. Gold aurei functioned as the premier monetary unit, tariffed at twenty-five silver denarii or one hundred bronze sestertii, maintaining an exceptional purity often exceeding ninety-nine percent fine gold. In 20 BC, Augustus orchestrated the diplomatic recovery of the Roman military standards (signa militaria) and surviving captives lost decades earlier in the catastrophic defeats of Marcus Licinius Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC, Decidius Saxa in 40 BC, and Marcus Antonius in 36 BC. The event was promoted as a transcendent victory equivalent to an armed conquest. The monetary authorities utilized the aureus of type RIC I (second edition) 135 to broadcast this bloodless vindication of Roman honor throughout the western provinces, balancing senatorial deference with unvarnished imperial prestige.

Production and Mint Attribution

In the revised edition of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I, C. H. V. Sutherland securely attributed this issue to the provincial mint of Colonia Patricia, modern Cordoba in southern Spain. Prior numismatic scholarship in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including the foundational catalogue of Harold Mattingly, frequently assigned these high-style western gold and silver strikings to an uncertain Spanish mint or directly to Caesaraugusta. Systematic analysis of die links, hoard distributions, stylistic continuities, and epigraphic conventions subsequently confirmed Colonia Patricia as a primary center of Augustan coin production between approximately 19 BC and 16 BC. Operating under direct imperial mandate, the mint employed skilled engravers whose execution rivaled the finest Hellenistic and Italian workshops. Production followed the standard Augustan weight system, striking gold at roughly forty-two coins per Roman pound (libra), yielding a theoretical standard of approximately 7.85 to 7.90 grams per specimen. Flans were carefully cast, heated, and struck between hand-cut iron dies, often displaying an irregular or unaligned die axis typical of late first-century BC provincial strikings.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 135 features an uncrowned, bare head of Augustus facing right. Engravers at Colonia Patricia departed subtly from the stark, severe realism of late Republican verism, adopting instead an idealized, serene classicism inspired by fifth-century BC Greek sculpture. The portrait captures the princeps in his early forties, characterized by clean facial contours, carefully defined wavy locks of hair across the brow, and an alert, composed expression. Augustus is portrayed without a laurel wreath, diadem, or other explicit royal insignia, adhering strictly to the early Principate convention of the civil magistrate and first citizen rather than a monarch. The die cutting exhibits high relief, crisp linear hair rendering, and smooth facial surfaces, demonstrating the premier quality afforded to imperial gold. The extensive surrounding legend is executed in clear, tall Roman capitals, framed by an encircling border of delicate dots.

Reverse Iconography and Architectural Depiction

The reverse presents a detailed architectural rendering of a monumental triumphal arch celebrating the Parthian triumph. The structure is rendered as a central arched bay flanked by lateral trabeated wings or portals. Atop the central entablature stands Augustus in a triumphal quadriga, a four-horse chariot, advancing toward the viewer or slightly turned, holding reins and an olive branch or laurel spray. Flanking the central attic on either side, smaller standing figures are positioned on the lower wings of the arch: the figure on the right holds an imperial standard, while the figure on the left holds a bow or an arrow and standard, evoking the archer traditions of the Parthian kingdom and their formal submission. This composition reflects contemporary Augustan architectural programs, closely mirroring the triumphal Parthian arch erected in the Roman Forum near the Temple of Julius Caesar. Through this design, the coin translates a monumental physical monument into a portable numismatic medium, immortalizing the restitution of Rome's military integrity.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse inscription reads S P Q R IMP CAESARI AVG COS XI TRI POT VI, an abbreviation of Senatus Populusque Romanus Imperatori Caesari Augusto Consuli Undecimum Tribunicia Potestate Sextum. This formula explicitly emphasizes the constitutional authority granted by the Senate and Roman People, recording Augustus's cognomen Augustus, his status as imperator, his eleventh holding of the consulship (assumed in 23 BC and not renewed until 5 BC), and his sixth year of tribunician power. The reverse inscription is arranged across the fields and beneath the arch, reading CIVIB ET SIGN MILIT A PART RECVP, which expands to Civibus et signis militaribus a Parthis recuperatis. Translated as 'For the citizens and military standards recovered from the Parthians', this legend forms a grammatical ablative absolute detailing the rationale for the dedication. The lettering is neat, uniform, and deeply carved, representative of Augustan epigraphic reform that established the classical lapidary style across imperial coinage.

Typology and Chronology

The dating of type RIC I (second edition) Augustus 135 is established through the explicit epigraphic inclusion of Augustus's sixth tribunician power (TRI POT VI), which ran from the summer of 18 BC to the summer of 17 BC. Within Sutherland's typological framework, this issue forms part of the second major group of aurei struck at Colonia Patricia, which focused heavily on honors voted to Augustus for foreign achievements and civic benefactions. The type shares its fundamental reverse design with corresponding silver denarii catalogued under RIC I (second edition) Augustus 136 and related variants, although the aureus features distinctive flan dimensions, higher relief, and minor stylistic nuances in the ornamentation of the arch. Numismatists distinguish this specific type from earlier 19 BC Spanish strikings by the explicit combination of COS XI and TRI POT VI, providing an unambiguous temporal anchor in late 18 or early 17 BC.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Preservation

Because gold aurei represented an enormous store of value, equivalent to nearly a month's pay for a senior legionary centurion or several months' wages for an ordinary soldier, their daily market circulation was restricted primarily to high-level commerce, state transfers, taxation, and large banking transactions. Hoard evidence from the western provinces indicates that Augustan aurei were frequently accumulated by wealthy landowners, military commanders, and provincial elites, remaining in circulation for decades before being buried during periods of unrest or political uncertainty. Consequently, surviving specimens of RIC 135 often show traces of prolonged handling or gentle wear, while others were preserved in substantial domestic hoards. Due to the intrinsic stability and purity of the metal, these coins did not suffer from the chemical corrosion typical of base metal issues, preserving intricate details of the architectural engraving across the centuries.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 67-68
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 135. Type record ric.1(2).aug.135
3. Roman Provincial Coinage, Volume I: From the Death of Caesar to the Death of Vitellius. Colonia Patricia mint commentary
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 48-50, no. 135