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Bronze coin of Augustus and Agrippa, with pig's trotter appendage

10/14

British Museum

British Museum
London, United Kingdom

This coin was produced at the town of Colonia Nemausus, ancient Nîmes in the south of France, in about AD 10-14. The designs show Augustus, the first Roman emperor (reigned 31 BC - AD 14) on the right, with his general, Agrippa (died 12 BC). They are shown as victors of the great Roman civil war against Augustus' rival, Mark Antony and his lover, Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt. The war was portrayed by the victors very much as a battle against 'foreign' domination, despite the involvement of the distinguished Roman, Mark Antony. To emphasize this, the crocodile is used to symbolize Egypt - chained to a palm tree to indicate its defeat and occupation by Rome. This coin is certainly not a typical example of this issue as it has an appendage in the form of a pig's leg! Although we cannot be certain, peculiar coins such as these are likely to have been used for some form of religious offering.

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  • Title: Bronze coin of Augustus and Agrippa, with pig's trotter appendage
  • Date Created: 10/14
  • Physical Dimensions: Weight: 21.840g (abnormal); Length: 42.00mm; Width: 27.00mm
  • External Link: British Museum collection online
  • Subject: emperor/empress; politician/statesman; reptile
  • Registration number: 1867,0101.2246
  • Production place: Minted in Nemausus
  • Period/culture: Roman Provincial
  • Material: copper alloy
  • Copyright: Photo: © Trustees of the British Museum
  • Authority: Ruler Augustus
  • Acquisition: Purchased from Blacas d'Aulps. Previous owner/ex-collection Blacas, Louis Charles Pierre Casimir
British Museum

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