Browse Exhibits (7 total)
Coins of Augustus
Augustus became emperor after the defeat of Marc Antony in 31 BC (before this time he was known as Octavian). Throughout his reign, Augustus was known for the many reforms and institutes which he put into place. A common theme under Augustus was his promoting the new ‘golden age’ under his rule. He emphasised the peace after the recent civil strife and his connection to the gods. He had poets writing for him such as Virgil and Ovid promoting the summit of Roman history, which was his rulership. He died in 14 AD after a long and productive reign. Many building projects were done under his reign and he was renowned by the local historians and people. His reign was perhaps the most well-known of the emperors following Julius Caesar. For this reason, we choose him.
This exhibit is looking at the way Augustus/Octavian uses coins to promote ideals and his image throughout his life. The varied coins show examples of him using the gods to promote his image, a constellation to show his luck and divine position as emperor and reminders of local events occurring around this area. We selected the five coins from the collection at the Otago Museum because of their connections and the interesting themes they provide. Some key terms to define in the introduction to the exhibition are legend, obverse and reverse in reference to coins. The legend of a coin is the inscription, usually going around the outside of the coin in a clockwise direction; the obverse is the front of the coin and the reverse is the back.
What we hope to show is that Augustus used his coins throughout his reign for various purposes and in various ways. Coins are a good way of spreading messages throughout the empire because of the distance they travel and their frequency of use. Looking at these coins we hope to show that they are a valuable piece of evidence from the ancient world and provide a look into the period and reason they were created for. Augustus is just one of many people who used them in history for this purpose.
Imperial Propaganda in Roman Coins
This exhibition displays a selection of Roman Imperial coins from the Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand. The coins were chosen for their propagandistic value and the way in which they highlight how each of the Julio-Claudian emperors from Augustus to Nero chose to represent themselves to the public, spreading their image and Imperial values throughout the Roman Empire. The coins focus on Roman values such as military prowess, religion, and family which the Emperors use to express their excellence and justify their rightful rule. The minting of coins was under Imperial control and coins became a means of communication between the powerful Roman leaders and the rest of the Roman Empire. Coinage reveals the way in which the Emperors themselves wanted to be represented and shows the image they aimed to present to the people, an image that is often at odds with the characterisations of the Emperors painted in the Ancient sources. Coins were used to justify the Emperor’s claim to power by using common themes of Roman values which occur throughout the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. Coins were commonly used to promote the prosperity and successes of the Roman State and reflected the culture of Roman life. Images, particularly those minted on the reverse of a coin, were used to demonstrate the victories of an Emperor. These successes typically focussed on military feats and the return of peace to Roman provinces. This exhibition will explore aspects of military prestige and how the Emperors used this to promote themselves and their power. Augustus, for example, uses the battle of Actium in coins to celebrate his victory and later Caligula represents his victory of the sea in his coins. Military achievements were important to show the prowess of the Empire and the ability of the Emperor to protect and expand the its borders. Another key theme this exhibition looks at in relation to numismatic propaganda is the use of ancestral links. The chosen coins highlight the way in which family became central to the Emperor’s claim to power and demonstrate the power of names such as Germanicus, Caesar, and Augustus. The use of the names of people who were widely admired in Rome, such as Germanicus, could be used to generate further support for the Emperor promoting that person, adding to his power and popularity. Furthermore, religious symbols were incorporated into Imperial coinage, becoming another form of propaganda. The use of religious figures and divine personifications becomes a recurring theme within coinage that was used to generate meaning. The use of goddesses such as Pax and Nike were used as representations of abstract concepts such as peace and victory to extoll these virtues in relation to the Emperor. The use of these common religious symbols enabled Imperial messages to be spread throughout the Roman empire in an unobtrusive yet recognisable way. In Imperial Rome, coinage functioned much like a television advertisement, with coins and their inscriptions and images being used to promote the Emperor and sway the public so that they would accept the choices, beliefs, and actions of the current Emperor. In many ways the political use of coinage, to legitimise the ruler and his government, was just as important as the economical function of the coins. By using coinage to tie oneself to influential ancestors, militants, and gods, Emperors were able to broadcast their importance across a large geographical area thus cementing their right to hold power in the Roman Empire.
Imperial Redemption: Recovering from a Failed Emperor
This exhibit examines the idea of Tiberius as a “failed emperor” who was unable to live up to the standards set by his predecessor Augustus. We begin by examining a coin from the reign of Tiberius, with an analysis of his failures and shortfalls as both a leader and as a man. We then look back at the origins of the Julio-Claudian dynasty with an analysis of an Augustan age coin. In this section we will outline how Augustus set the framework for imperial power in ancient Rome, with particular focus on the balance between family life and political success. Augustus presented himself as an ideal leader, who was militarily successful, energetically pious and a peace maker. All of these attributes can be seen from his coinage. Having established this standard of apparent imperial perfection, we move on to Caligula’s coinage. As a man who had suffered directly from the cruelty and perversion of Tiberius, the public looked to Caligula to correct his adoptive grandfather’s mistakes and reinstate the era of administrative peace established by Augustus. Caligula’s coinage reflects this attempt. We will show how Caligula’s use of his brothers’ likenesses was used to portray a sense of family stability, when the reality was the complete opposite. Thus, Caligula failed to be a better family man than Tiberius. Then we look to Claudius, and analyse how his coinage attempts to present him as a friend of the senate. The relationship of the imperial family to the senate was a tenuous one, with a constant sense of imbedded anger and revolt. The senate wished to be free of the emperors; thus an emperor’s relationship with the senate could either bring about peace or his destruction. Tiberius had failed on this account, often rousing a sense of anger in the political elite with all of his political and military missteps. Claudius tries to present himself as Tiberius’ better, to recover the imperial household’s relationship with the senate, only to fail in this aim. Thus, Claudius failed to a be a better ally to the senate than Tiberius. Finally, we will look at Nero. This portly and extravagant emperor used his coinage to present himself as a military powerhouse. Tiberius had been an absentee emperor from both Rome and from military campaigns. Tiberius’ choice to be an uninspiring emperor brought extreme tension between him, the Roman military, and the Roman people. To repair this relationship, Nero used coinage to show himself in a much more awe-inspiring light. But, as it will be shown in our analysis, Nero was anything but the heroic military leader which he presents. Thus, Nero failed to be a better military leader than Tiberius. In these ways, our exhibit will show how Tiberius failed to live up to the standards set by the divine Augustus and how Tiberius’ successors failed to remedy his mistakes and shortfalls.
Roman Gods on Coins: Julio-Claudian Propaganda in Circulation
This exhibit shows the use of Roman gods and goddesses on various coins from the lives of Augustus (63 BCE-14 CE) to Nero (37-68 CE). The Julio-Claudian emperors were the first family to rule the Roman Empire in the Imperial period, and as such, focused heavily on creating widespread acceptance of the new dynastic system of transferring power. There were five emperors in the Julio-Claudian family between 27 BCE and 68 CE. This began with the transferral of multiple new Republican powers to Augustus, and ended with the death of Nero.
An effective way for an emperor to solidify their power was by linking themselves to the divine. A notable example of this was when Augustus created links to the deified Julius Caesar in order to solidify his legitimacy as emperor. Succeeding emperors followed this example, using the images of divinities on coins as symbols of power, family ties, and to represent achievements of individuals or the empire. The gods were an integral part of life for the Roman people, and using these figures on coins was an effective method of propaganda since coins were constantly in circulation and in use.
Written accounts of Imperial Rome’s history occasionally disagree, as they sometimes tell different stories from the other evidence which we have from the period. These differences can be caused by the time differences between the event and the time of writing. It is widely agreed that the written records of the time are inherently biased. Though coins can be biased in their own way, what they reveal are the particular messages that an emperor wanted to emphasise. Surviving coins are crucial in understanding the public portrayal of emperors, as they are primary material from the time unlike many of our written accounts which are secondary. As Susan Wood (1995:461) wrote, coins can give us insight into the reality of Imperial Rome because they “generally tell a less distorted story than written accounts...”.
See our information tab to learn more about the anatomy of Roman Imperial Coins, and for more general information, such as the Julio-Claudian family tree, and the dates of each emperor's reign.
The Promotion of Ancestry on Julio-Claudian Coins
Introduction
This exhibit investigates the Julio-Claudian Emperors’ use of ancestry as a theme on their Imperial coinage. In ancient Rome, coins were produced in large quantities and were highly portable so Emperors frequently used them as tools for propaganda to spread messages to many people in all corners of the Roman world. Covering approximately 90 years of Rome’s colourful history from 38 BC to 54 AD, the discussions of these coins will cover the historical context in which the coins were minted and how these Emperors conveyed their messages through symbols and imagery. You can use the list of coin types on the right to read more about the five coins in this exhibit.
Historical Context
The first Roman Emperor, Augustus, rose to power primarily through his military success, but once he had power he needed to find a way to keep it. He did this by using coins to promote his adoptive father Julius Caesar who, until his assassination in 44 BC, had been a leader that the Roman people respected and was even declared a god by the Senate after his death, making Augustus the son of a god. This divine familial connection to Julius Caesar legitimised Augustus' power because it connected him to a successful military and political leader that the Roman people respected. This was the message that Augustus intended to convey through his coinage. The Emperors that succeeded Augustus followed his example of using coins to promote their family connections to past leaders to show that they were entitled to the power they inherited.
Our Exhibit
In this exhibit we are looking at coins made by Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius that use portraits and imagery to promote the success of their father or grandfather. The coins, when examined consecutively demonstrate that the Julio-Claudian Emperors promoted their ancestry to reinforce their authority and legitimacy. By pointing backward to ancestors, these emperors deliberately conveyed that they were connected by blood to former rulers or highly-esteemed officials, and so would carry many of the same good Roman qualities forward into their reigns.
It was necessary for the Julio-Claudian Emperors to make these connections because the Empire was young and unestablished and the concept of succession threatened the republican ideals that both the public and the Senate valued. This meant that the Julio-Claudian Emperors needed to show that even though they inherited their power, they were entitled to it and would uphold republican ideals and continue Augustus’ legacy.
The Utility of Family; Dynasty for the Julio-Claudian Emperors
The Julio-Claudian dynasty provided the foundation for over three centuries of Roman imperial reign. Ushered in by Augustus, the imperial system relied on dynasty as opposed the more traditional republican methods of election. Therefore, the strategy to obtain legitimacy and public support changed greatly. This can be reflected in the coins relating to this period as we have explored.
In comparison to Augustus and Tiberius, the later rulers of the Julio-Claudian dynasty faced the new and unique problem of linking their lineage to those earlier emperors to secure their power. This resulted in the promotion members of their family, dead and alive, to show links to the previous patricians.
The literary sources available to the modern enthusiast provide a colourful view of the Julio-Claudians, full of scandal and intrigue. These, while interesting to reader and very compelling, are heavily influenced on the classical author's research and bias. They provide valuable a resource, but need to be tempered by other sources. Presented here are analyses of coins from the emperors Caligula and Claudius, the third and forth emperors of Rome. Through an examination of these five coins a clear change in the emperor's focus to promote themselves emerges. The three coins of Caligula, featuring Agrippina, Germanicus, and Nero and Drusus, and Claudius’ two coins depicting Germanicus and Antonia minor are explored. As evidenced, no longer are coins solely focused on the emperor and, for example, a divine right, a specific military accolade or a cultural success. Now, we see and clear derivation of power from previous influential family members and, notably, women with peak imperial influence.
Overall, the coins illustrate the shift in mindset from the personal promotion of the earlier emperors, to the reliance of later rulers on family members, their accomplishments and direct ties to power. Caligula and Claudius were not triumphal generals, they had not foiled plots against the integral structures of Rome, nor had they showed familial virtue. However through the promotion of their sisters, mothers and fathers they augmented their legitimacy and aimed to cement their own rule. The coins, and the stories attached to them, illustrate and facilitate a clearer picture of these emperors, and hopefully allow the modern interpreter to form a more accurate view of these figures nearly two millennia on.
Use of Deities on Julio-Claudian Coins
This exhibition is the result of an assignment for the Classics Department at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. The purpose of this assignment was to examine imperial coins from the Julio-Claudian era and identify their importance for understanding key aspects of propaganda and ideologies in the Roman world for an audience with a non-scholarly background. The coins used in this online exhibition were sourced and are stored at the Otago Museum. Coins are an important tool for understanding the values and ideologies of a historical period. Emperors of the Julio-Claudian era would use coins to spread messages of power and legitimacy to solidify their rule.
Our group chose to focus on the relationships between deities and emperors. In particular, we focussed on Augustus and Apollo, Tiberius and Pax, Caligula and Vesta, and Nero’s relationship with both Jupiter and Roma. We were interested in this topic due to the fact that gods and religion were a hugely important aspect of Roman life, and we wanted to see how they were exploited by emperors to convey certain messages about their rule.
The Julio-Claudian emperors came after a period of instability and civil war, following the death of Julius Caesar; these emperors, starting with Augustus, used propaganda to stabilise the empire and their rule. This tradition continued after this era. Emperors would adopt specific gods to convey specific messages which would either link them or distance them from previous emperors and ideas.
This exhibition is laid out in chronological order so readers can see the progression of messages and ideas from the early coins, which focus on the empire and the acceptance of sole rule, to the later coins which tend to focus on the emperor himself.
We hope you enjoy your time learning about the different emperors and the gods they associated themselves with, and why they did so.