Augustus Silver Denarius, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 36A

Monetary Context and Augustan Reform

The introduction of the silver denarius categorized as RIC I (second edition) Augustus 36A occurred during a formative period of restructuring in Roman coinage. Following the cessation of the civil wars at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the formal establishment of the Principate in 27 BC, Augustus sought to stabilize an empire-wide monetary system that had fractured into regional triumviral and imperatorial currencies. The silver denarius remained the cornerstone of the Mediterranean economy, serving as the primary vehicle for state payments, particularly legionary salaries, administrative expenditures, and interprovincial trade. Between 19 BC and 18 BC, when this specific series was issued, the Augustan administration had not yet centralized precious metal striking at the imperial mint of Lugdunum, which assumed dominance only in the subsequent decade. Instead, military needs in the western provinces, particularly the pacification campaigns across northern Iberia known as the Cantabrian Wars, necessitated localized, high-volume production of silver and gold. Operating under imperial authority, provincial mints such as Caesaraugusta supplied regional garrisons with currency that was fully integrated into the official Roman monetary standard, conforming to the traditional weight benchmark of approximately eighty-four denarii per Roman pound, or roughly 3.8 to 3.9 grams of high-purity silver. The ideological framework established by this issue reinforced the constitutional status of Augustus, disseminating the honors voted by the Senate in 27 BC directly to the soldiers and citizens of the western provinces.

Mint Attribution and Caesaraugusta Workshop

The attribution of RIC 36A to the mint of Caesaraugusta, situated on the site of ancient Saldie along the Ebro River in Hispania Tarraconensis, rests on extensive numismatic scholarship developed throughout the twentieth century. Earlier nineteenth-century cataloguers, including Bartolomeo Borghesi and Henry Cohen, occasionally attributed these western issues to mobile military mints moving with Augustus or to Gallic workshops. However, foundational analyses by Harold Mattingly in the British Museum catalogues and subsequent re-evaluations by C. H. V. Sutherland in the revised 1984 edition of Roman Imperial Coinage firmly established Caesaraugusta and Colonia Patricia (Corduba) as the primary Iberian producers of early Augustan imperial coinage. Founded circa 15 BC to 14 BC as a veteran colony for the fourth, sixth, and tenth legions, Caesaraugusta had begun operating as an official striking center shortly prior to its formal municipal foundation, during the active military consolidation of the region. Die-link studies and stylistic groupings reveal a coherent sequence of dies cut by skilled engravers whose execution of the portraiture and reverse lettering shows marked distinctions from contemporary workshops in Gallia, Rome, and the East. Engravers at Caesaraugusta developed a clean, neo-classical portrait style characterized by careful treatment of facial planes, a slightly elevated chin, and crisply articulated oak leaves. The reverse compositions demonstrate meticulous spatial planning, accommodating complex multi-element arrangements of shields, branches, and inscriptions within the constricted field of a silver flan.

Obverse Iconography: The Oak-Wreathed Portrait

The obverse of RIC 36A presents a bare-necked bust of Augustus facing right, adorned with a naturalistic corona civica, or civic crown composed of oak leaves tied with ribbons at the nape of the neck. Strikingly, the obverse field is completely devoid of lettering. Anepigraphic obverses were a deliberate aesthetic choice during this phase of Augustan coinage in Hispania, focusing the viewer's undivided attention on the sculpted physiognomy of the ruler and the powerful symbol of the civic crown. The corona civica was awarded by the Roman Senate in January 27 BC to hang over the door of Augustus's house on the Palatine Hill, signifying that he had saved the lives of Roman citizens by ending the civil wars. Stylistically, the head on RIC 36A embodies the idealized, youthful classicism inspired by fifth-century BC Greek sculpture, particularly Polykleitan proportions, which replaced the hyper-realistic, veristic conventions of Republican portraiture. The features are regularized: a straight nasal bridge, calm gaze, clean jawline, and the distinctive arrangement of hair locks parted in a fork-and-pincer pattern across the forehead. The rendering of the oak leaves is sharp, with veins and individual acorns occasionally visible on carefully struck dies, presenting the Princeps as a serene, benevolent savior of the commonwealth rather than a traditional military autocrat.

Reverse Typology: The Clipeus Virtutis and Laurel Branches

The reverse of RIC 36A presents a dense yet balanced ideological composition that unites the highest civic honors granted to Augustus by the Senate. In the center of the field rests a circular votive shield, the clipeus virtutis, inscribed with the abbreviated letters CL V. This golden shield had been dedicated in the Curia Julia in 27 BC to commemorate the emperor's four cardinal virtues: virtus (courage), clementia (clemency), iustitia (justice), and pietas (piety). Flanking the shield are two upright laurel branches, representing the sacred laurel trees planted outside the entrance of Augustus's Palatine residence. The senatorial authority sanctioning these honors is directly asserted through the letters S P Q R (Senatus Populusque Romanus), which are distributed symmetrically around the central shield. The imperial titulature is split across the upper and lower fields, with CAESAR inscribed horizontally along the upper curve of the flan and AVGVSTVS along the lower rim. This iconography served as a visual manifesto of the Augustan regime, summarizing in miniature the entire ideological settlement of 27 BC. The combination of the oak crown on the obverse with the laurel trees and the shield of virtue on the reverse created an integrated numismatic monument that circulated across the provinces, reminding soldiers and provincials alike of the divine favor and senatorial consensus sustaining the new order.

Epigraphic Structure and Legend Variations

The epigraphic program of RIC 36A is characterized by brevity, symmetry, and significant omission. The obverse is entirely anepigraphic, carrying no text whatsoever, which allows the civic crown to communicate the authority and identity of the Princeps without titling. The reverse bears the legend CAESAR AVGVSTVS, arranged in two distinct lines: CAESAR occupies the upper field, while AVGVSTVS sits in the lower exergual register beneath the shield and branches. This split presentation of the primary imperial appellation surrounds the central design elements. Within the central field, the letters S P Q R are distributed around the round shield, explicitly citing the Senate and the Roman people as the dedicating bodies of the honors shown. The surface of the shield itself carries the abbreviated dedicatory formula CL V, standing for Clipeus Virtutis. The lettering style at the Caesaraugusta workshop is distinguished by classical, square capital forms with pronounced terminal serifs. Slight variations in die engraving occur across known specimens, primarily involving the exact alignment of S P Q R relative to the laurel branches, the curvature of the outer legends, and the presence or absence of pellets between individual letters. However, the foundational reading remains uniform across all authenticated dies belonging strictly to the 36A entry.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

Within the typology of early imperial coinage, RIC 36A forms part of an extensive group of denarii and aurei struck in Hispania Tarraconensis between 19 BC and 18 BC. In C. H. V. Sutherland's 1984 revision of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I, this coinage is grouped under the mint of Caesaraugusta, catalogued sequentially alongside related shield and crown types. RIC 36A is specifically defined by its anepigraphic obverse showing the head of Augustus facing right with the oak wreath, combined with the reverse exhibiting laurel branches flanking the shield inscribed CL V with S P Q R around, accompanied by CAESAR above and AVGVSTVS below. It must be carefully distinguished from closely related varieties in the same series: RIC 36B features an identical reverse arrangement but places the oak-wreathed head facing left; RIC 37A and 37B feature the bare head without wreath facing right or left; and neighboring Caesaraugusta issues such as RIC 38 through 44 alter the reverse arrangement, replacing the laurel branches or altering the legend orientation to circular formats. The precise chronological window of 19 BC to 18 BC aligns with the return of Augustus from the eastern provinces, the recovery of the Crassian legionary standards from Parthia in 20 BC, and the subsequent administrative reorganization of the western provincial commands prior to the closure of these regional silver workshops in favor of Lugdunum around 15 BC to 12 BC.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Monetary Impact

Denarii of the RIC 36A type were struck in substantial quantities to meet the logistical demands of the Roman legions stationed in the Iberian peninsula and along the Rhine frontier. Hoard evidence from across Spain, Gaul, and Germany demonstrates that these Caesaraugusta denarii moved rapidly through military supply lines into general European circulation. Notable hoards from the Iberian peninsula, such as the Penaguila and Valera de Arriba deposits, as well as western European finds like the early imperial strata at Haltern and Kalkriese in Germany, illustrate that Augustan denarii struck in Spain circulated freely alongside contemporary Gallic issues and older Republican silver. Because they were struck to a high silver fineness, these coins suffered minimal discounting and remained in active circulation for several decades, often exhibiting noticeable wear before being sequestered in savings hoards during the Julio-Claudian era. The massive influx of new denarii from Caesaraugusta helped replace worn Republican issues and established a standard iconographic vocabulary of imperial power that remained influential in provincial monetary circulation well into the first century AD.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 58-61
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Augustus 36A. ric.1(2).aug.36A
3. Roman Provincial Coinage, Volume I: From the Death of Caesar to the Death of Vitellius. pp. 80-83
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 43-45, no. 36A