Augustus Silver Denarius, RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207

Monetary Context

The introduction of the Gaius and Lucius Caesar denarius series occurred during a critical phase of monetary consolidation in the early Roman Empire. Following the monetary reforms of roughly 23 to 19 BC, Augustus established a stable multi-tiered currency system based on the gold aureus, the silver denarius, and base metal denominations struck in orichalcum and copper. The denarius, traditionally tariffed at sixteen copper asses or four orichalcum sestertii, served as the primary vehicle for high-value commerce, civil administrative payments, and military stipends. By the late first century BC, precious metal coinage production had transitioned away from the senatorial moneyers in Rome to direct imperial oversight. The denarius classified as RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207 emerged following Augustus receiving the title Pater Patriae (Father of his Country) in 2 BC. This coinage functioned not merely as economic bullion, but as a primary medium of state messaging, communicating the institutional legitimacy and planned hereditary succession of the Julio-Claudian house to soldiers and civilians across the Mediterranean world.

Production and Mints

Production of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207 was concentrated at the imperial branch mint of Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France). Established by Augustus in the mid-teens BC, Lugdunum served as the chief western imperial mint for precious metal coinages, positioned strategically to exploit raw mineral resources from Hispania and Gaul while directly servicing the heavy logistical demands of the Roman legions deployed along the Rhine and Danube frontiers. The scale of production for the Gaius and Lucius silver series was colossal, requiring dozens of active die cutters and hundreds of paired dies over several years. Metallurgical evaluations of the Lugdunum denarii indicate a consistently high silver purity, generally maintaining a standard of roughly 97 to 99 percent fineness. Individual blanks were prepared using spherical casting molds before hot striking, yielding typical flan diameters ranging between 18 and 20 millimeters, with nominal target weights clustered near 3.85 grams.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse of RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207 presents the laureate head of Augustus facing right. Executed in the classicizing, idealized style characteristic of the mature Augustan period, the portrait reflects the visual language established by the Prima Porta sculptural tradition. The emperor is depicted with calm, ageless facial features, an orderly arrangement of hair locks above the forehead, and a distinct laurel wreath bound at the back of the neck with fluttering ribbons. Unlike the earlier, more severe triumviral portraits, this rendering conveys majesty, restraint, and divine favor. The portrait is framed by a continuous circular inscription beginning at the lower left and reading clockwise, cleanly separating the imperial image from the outer border of fine dots.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse composition presents Augustus's two adopted sons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, standing side by side. Both princes are depicted facing frontally, draped in the traditional civilian toga, with their heads turned slightly toward each other. Each youth rests an outer hand on the rim of a vertical round parazonium-style shield set upon the ground line, with two upright spears standing behind them. In the upper field between their heads, floating sacred implements are depicted: a simpulum (a sacrificial ladle associated with the pontificate) and a lituus (a curved augural staff). On this specific catalogued variety, the simpulum appears on the left facing right, and the lituus appears on the right facing left. These symbols refer to the induction of Gaius into the college of pontiffs and Lucius into the college of augurs, publicly confirming their civic and religious standing as the future guardians of the Roman state.

Epigraphy and Legends

The legends on RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207 are composed in clear, capital Roman epigraphy and encapsulate the political architecture of the early Principate. The obverse legend reads CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, expanding to 'Caesar Augustus, Divi Filius, Pater Patriae' (Caesar Augustus, son of the deified Julius Caesar, Father of his Country). The inclusion of 'Pater Patriae' provides an absolute terminus post quem of 2 BC, the year the Senate, the equestrian order, and the Roman people formally conferred the honorific upon him. The reverse legend is arranged in two distinct lines: around the perimeter runs C L CAESARES, while AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT occupies the lower field or exergue. This legend translates to 'Caius et Lucius Caesares, Augusti Filii, Consules Designati, Principes Iuventutis' (Gaius and Lucius Caesar, sons of Augustus, consuls designate, leaders of the youth). The title 'Princeps Iuventutis' was a prestigious designation granted by the equestrian order, emphasizing their role as patrons of the young nobility.

Typology and Chronology

The Gaius and Lucius reverse type encompasses multiple catalogued variations within the revised Roman Imperial Coinage framework, distinguished primarily by the arrangement of the religious implements and the addition of subsidiary symbols. In RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207, the simpulum is positioned on the left and the lituus on the right, without extraneous symbols such as a central X or lituus variations seen in types 208 through 212. Chronologically, the type was initiated in 2 BC. The tragic early deaths of the princes - Lucius at Massalia in AD 2 and Gaius in Lycia in AD 4 - fundamentally shattered the succession plan depicted on the reverse. Although the primary striking of type 207 corresponds to the window between 2 BC and AD 4, numismatists continue to debate whether production at Lugdunum ceased immediately upon Gaius's death or whether posthumous striking persisted for several years due to entrenched die stocks and the sheer inertia of massive military minting operations.

Circulation and Monetary Life

RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207 and its sister varieties formed the single largest group of silver denarii circulating throughout the western provinces during the Julio-Claudian era. Vast quantities were disbursed to pay the legionary garrisons stationed along the Rhine and Upper Danube frontiers, leading to dense concentrations of finds across modern France, Germany, Belgium, and Britain. The exceptional volume and fine silver content of these coins ensured their survival in circulation long after Augustus's death in AD 14. Hoard evidence demonstrates that these denarii circulated actively through the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero, and many survived in worn condition into the Flavian period. Furthermore, maritime trade carried these denarii far beyond imperial borders, with significant numbers recovered from hoards in southern India, where they served as high-purity bullion in the luxury trade network.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 89-91, nos. 519-535
2. Catalogue des monnaies de l'Empire romain, I: Auguste. pp. 210-215, nos. 1651-1668
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE): RIC I (second edition) Augustus 207. Type record ric.1(2).aug.207
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (revised edition). pp. 55-56, no. 207