Denarius of Augustus Octavianus Obverse
Unknown
The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE
Riga, Latvia
The obverse of the silver denarius of the first emperor of the Roman Empire – Augustus Octavianus (reign 27 BC – 14 AD) – shows the ruler's head with a wreath of laurel leaves. The laurel wreath was borrowed from the deity Apollo, thus attempting to associate the Emperor or Caesar, his heir to the throne, with it and to attribute any divine qualities to him. The reverse of the coin depicts two persons wearing toga – the grandsons of Augustus Octavianus, whom he had adopted – Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar. Both were sons of Augustus Octavianus trusted associate Agrippa and they were intended to become emperors after each other. However, the two young men died and their place was taken by the next Roman Emperor Tiberius (reign 14-37 AD).
Obverse of the coin
- Title: Denarius of Augustus Octavianus Obverse
- Creator: Unknown
- Date Created: 2 BC – 4 AD
- Location Created: Roman Empire, Lyon mint (Lugdunum)
- Physical Dimensions: Ø 20 mm, weight 4 g
- History: The collection of ancient coins is a unified whole, received by the museum from the Art Cabinet of the Department of Philology and Philosophy at the University of Latvia in 1950. Collector and dentist Eustace Lewis Eskell (1869–1954) from London had donated the coin collection to the University in 1929. Collection includes coins from Ancient Greece, Hellenistic states as well as the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, dated from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. Coins of the Roman Empire make up the largest part of the collection. They cover almost the entire period of the Empire, representing most of its rulers from Augustus to Valentinian II.
- Type: Coin
- Rights: Latvian National Museum of Art
- Medium: Silver
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