Augustus Gold Aureus, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196

Monetary Context and Imperial Reform

The monetary system of the early Roman Empire underwent comprehensive reorganization following the consolidation of power by Augustus after the Battle of Actium. While the traditional senatorial mint in Rome initially resumed limited precious metal emissions in the late teens BC under college of moneyers, Augustus progressively decentralized and then re-concentrated high-denomination gold and silver striking in the provinces. By the close of the second decade BC, provincial minting of aurei had become the primary vehicle for financing military payrolls and major imperial infrastructure. Gold coinage held an established tariff of twenty-five silver denarii to one aureus, serving as the ultimate fiscal anchor of the Roman currency system. Aurei of this phase were struck at a theoretical standard of forty-two to the Roman pound (libra), yielding an intended weight of approximately 7.8 to 7.9 grams of nearly pure gold. The introduction of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196 took place in an environment where precious metal was urgently needed to support Drusus the Elder and Tiberius in their expansive military campaigns across Raetia, Noricum, and the Germanic frontier east of the Rhine. Because base metal aes coinage supplied local civilian retail markets, imperial aurei functioned as an imperial instrument of institutional expenditure, distributed through military treasuries and high-ranking provincial magistrates rather than everyday street-level commerce.

Production and Mint Attribution

Catalogue RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196 was produced at the imperial mint of Lugdunum, modern Lyon in France. Established at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers, Lugdunum occupied an exceptional strategic position that facilitated rapid communication between the central imperial court in Rome, the provincial administration of Gaul, and the legionary encampments stationed along the Rhine. Scholarly consensus, pioneered by Harold Mattingly and C. H. V. Sutherland and corroborated by subsequent hoard evidence and die studies, situates the primary output of Augustan gold from approximately 15 BC onward at Lugdunum. Production at the mint was characterized by exceptionally high standards of die engraving and metallurgical purity. Engravers utilized carefully prepared cast flans of consistent weight, which were struck with heavy iron dies under hot or warm conditions to achieve deep relief. The obverse portraits from this issue display the idealized classicism characteristic of the mature Lugdunese master engravers, setting an aesthetic standard that displaced the earlier, more idiosyncratic military mint styles. Surviving specimens across museum collections and hoards indicate that die pairing for this specific aureus type was tightly controlled, with dies shared across contemporary denarius counterparts bearing the identical reverse design.

Obverse Typology

The obverse of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196 presents the head of Augustus facing right, crowned with a laurel wreath. The portrait exemplifies the formal Augustan classical style developed during the middle decade of his reign, synthesizing Hellenistic monarchic poise with the calm restrained dignity of Roman civic virtue. The hair is rendered in carefully arranged, curving locks that terminate along the nape of the neck, while the laurel wreath is bound at the rear with two ribbons that cascade down onto the imperial neck. Augustus is depicted without signs of aging, reflecting the deliberate imperial policy of presenting an unchanging, ageless princeps who embodied eternal stability. The relief is typically bold, showing a distinct jawline, a straight nasal bridge, and an alert, forward-looking gaze. Surrounding the portrait, the inscription runs continuously along the perimeter, framed cleanly within a beaded border. The die alignment and placement of the portrait show consistent proportionality across known examples, reflecting the stringent quality controls enforced by the mint officials at Lugdunum.

Reverse Typology and Iconography

The reverse of the coin portrays the goddess Diana Sicilian (Diana Siciliensis) advancing toward the right in vigorous motion. Draped in a long chiton that catches the wind and billows in dramatic folds behind her, she holds a hunting bow in her left hand while her right hand reaches upward and backward to draw an arrow from the quiver slung across her shoulder. This dynamic pose highlights action, readiness, and divine intervention. The iconography refers directly to the naval victory achieved in 36 BC at Naulochus off the coast of Sicily, where Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, commanding on behalf of Octavian, crushed the fleet of Sextus Pompey. Near the site of Naulochus stood an ancient and renowned sanctuary dedicated to Diana, known as the Artemisium or sanctuary of Diana Facelina. By invoking Diana Siciliana, the coin recalled the foundational campaign that secured the grain supply of Rome and liberated the western Mediterranean from the threat of naval blockade. The imagery on this aureus was struck contemporaneously with a parallel reverse type featuring Apollo of Actium, creating a deliberate pair that honoured the sibling divine protectors of the princeps, Apollo and Diana, who had presided over Octavian's decisive maritime triumphs at Actium and Naulochus respectively.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The inscriptions on this aureus are concise, powerful, and carefully integrated into the overall numismatic design. The obverse legend reads AVGVSTVS DIVI F, arranged along the border from lower left upward and around the imperial portrait. This title combines the sacred cognomen Augustus, conferred upon him by the Roman Senate in 27 BC, with the patronymic Divi Filius (abbreviated DIVI F), meaning 'son of the deified one.' By consistently emphasizing his relationship to the deified Julius Caesar, Augustus reaffirmed the sacred legitimacy of his rule and his elevated status above the traditional senatorial elite. The reverse legend is split, reading IMP XII in the left field or exergue and SICIL in the right field or beneath the goddess. IMP XII stands for Imperator Duodecimum, denoting Augustus's twelfth acclamation as imperator by the Roman legions. Historical records indicate that Augustus received his twelfth acclamation around 11 BC to 10 BC, primarily in connection with the successful campaigns waged by his stepsons Tiberius in Pannonia and Drusus in Germany. The word SICIL is an explicit ethnic abbreviation for Siciliensis, firmly linking the acclamation and the reverse imagery to the Sicilian theater of victory.

Typology and Chronological Sequence

RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196 occupies a precise position within the second main emission of gold and silver at Lugdunum, which Sutherland designated as Group II of the imperial mint's operations. The chronological dating to 11 BC and 10 BC is anchored securely by Augustus's imperial acclamation count. The eleventh acclamation (IMP XI) was celebrated on coinage around 12 BC, while the twelfth acclamation (IMP XII) commenced in 11 BC and continued in use until the thirteenth acclamation was recorded around 9 BC or 8 BC. Within this IMP XII series, the Lugdunum mint executed two complementary religious and military themes: the Apollo of Actium type (RIC 192 for the aureus, RIC 193 for the denarius) and the Diana of Sicily type (RIC 196 for the aureus, RIC 197 for the denarius). Both types shared identical obverse dies and epigraphy, demonstrating that they were struck concurrently in the same workshops. Sutherland's revision of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I separated the earlier military issues of the twenties BC from this unified Lugdunum series, affirming that RIC 196 represents the standardized imperial aureus production of the mid-Augustan principate prior to the introduction of the later Gaius and Lucius Caesar dynastic issues.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

As an aureus struck from high-purity gold, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196 did not circulate in the high-velocity manner typical of bronze or silver currency. Gold denominations represented substantial purchasing power, equivalent to a significant portion of an auxiliary or legionary soldier's annual wage. Consequently, these coins were held in savings hoards, utilized for elite property transfers, or disbursed as official subsidies. Archaeological discovery patterns for early Augustan aurei show a strong concentration throughout the northwestern provinces of the empire, particularly in Gaul, the Rhineland, and adjacent military frontiers, reflecting the route of direct military disbursements from Lugdunum. Due to the high intrinsic value of the metal, aurei experienced relatively little physical wear during circulation, although some specimens exhibit evidence of clipping, edge testing, or secondary mounting in jewelry during later centuries. Because later Augustan issues such as the extensive Gaius and Lucius Caesar type (RIC 206) were produced in vastly greater quantities, surviving examples of the IMP XII Sicilian Diana type are substantially fewer, attesting to a relatively brief period of issue before the iconography of the mint shifted toward the emerging Julio-Claudian succession.

References

1. Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon: Des origines au regne de Caligula (43 av. J.-C. - 41 ap. J.-C.). pp. 95-98
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 81-82, nos. 483-486
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 196. ric.1(2).aug.196
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). p. 52, no. 196
5. The Emperor and the Coinage: Julio-Claudian Studies. pp. 55-68
6. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. pp. 240-252