AUGUSTUS AND APOLLO

E2017.477 obv.JPG

E2017.477, Obverse

E2017.477 rev.JPG

E2017.477, Reverse

Legends:

Reverse: IMP X ACT 

  • Latin, expanded: Imperator X Actium
  • English translation: Imperator 10 [for the tenth time], Actium.

 Obverse: AVGVTVS DIVI F 

  • Latin, expanded: Augustus Divi Filius
  • English translation: Augustus son of the divine (divine referring to Caesar).

  Augustus:

 Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Before him, Rome had, for the most part, been ruled as a republic with the elected senate serving as the highest governing body. Augustus formerly known as Gaius Octavius Thurinus  rose to prominence when his uncle, Julius Caesar, named him as adopted son and heir. In 27 BC, after many political and military victories, Octavian was awarded the titles of Augustus Princeps implying his religious authority and observance, while identifying his as the ‘first among equals’ – the first to speak at the Senate. Augustus also styled himself as Imperator Caesar divi fillius which translates to ‘commander Caesar, son of the deified one’; this refers to Julius Caesar, who was newly deified at this time. During his time as sole ruler of Rome, Augustus carried out a propaganda campaign to spread certain old Republican values. This was a large, successful move, to help encourage patriotism and unity under him, and discourage the re-emergence of more civil wars. Augustus also encouraged the growth of the Roman population through the introduction of his marriage laws, the most famous being Lex Julia de Martiandis Ordinbus and Lex Paper Poppaea. These laws encouraged marriage and having children, by offering tax benefits in return. Augustus continued with this campaign and ruled Rome until his death in 14 CE.

 

 Apollo:

 Apollo was one of the 12 principal gods of Rome, directly comparable to the Greek god Apollo. Apollo was the god of prophecy, music, the sun and healing. Although he was one of the principal gods of Rome, he rose to prominence when Augustus adopted him as his patron god. Although Augustus’ association with Apollo is generally thought to begin with the Battle of Actium, Augustus’ connection with Apollo began before this time. Suetonius, a Roman historian, tells us a tale of Apollo, in the form of a snake, impregnating Octavian’s mother, Atia, while his father dreamt that the sun rose from Atia’s womb. It is not clear if this rumour was around at the time of his birth or whether it was started later on in his life to further link him with Apollo, although the latter seems more likely. The first certain mention of Augustus’ worship of Apollo comes from 36 BC where he announced his intention to build a new temple to Apollo next to his house. It is believed that Apollo chose this site for a temple due to a lightning strike (Hekster & Rich, 2006, 159). The next reference of Augustus and Apollo leads into the Battle of Actium and the first coin of this exhibition.

 Coin Type:

 The first coin of this exhibition is a silver denarius dating back to 15-13 BC. One side of the coin (the obverse) depicts the head of the first Roman emperor Augustus. The other side (the reverse) depicts the Roman god Apollo Citharoedus. This name of Citharoedus refers to Apollo holding a plectrum and a lyre. The significance of the type of coin, a silver denarius, is that it would have been handled by the richer classes of Rome, such as the senatorial class, who had the power to assassinate and overpower Augustus. This makes it a very important propaganda tool as it would spread his message throughout the elite, hopefully bringing them to his side.

 Coin Intention

 Apollo’s connection with Augustus is unquestionably linked with the Battle of Actium. Fought in 31 BC, this was a naval battle between Octavian, (later known as Augustus) and the combined forces of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Augustus’ victory resulted in his unopposed rule of Rome. Following this, Augustus undertook a life-long propaganda campaign in order to subtly modify the widely held pessimistic view of monarchy and dictatorships in Rome in order to secure his rule, presenting it as a new pseudo-roman republic (Zanker, 1998, 3)  . This campaign largely focussed on Augustus being chosen by the gods to usher in a new ‘Golden Age’. Apollo, as Augustus’ patron god, became an important aspect of this. Retellings of the Battle of Actium attribute the victory at Actium to Apollo’s divine support of Octavian (Vergil, Aen, 6. 705.) (Propertius, 4.6.).

One of  the main reason for this belief is because the battle itself was fought in close proximity to two temples of Apollo. Thus, the god was transformed from a relatively insignificant deity to one who helped legitimise Augustus’ new position and set a tradition for future rulers. This helps us understand his place of honour on this coin: As aforementioned, this coin dates to 15-13 BC, approximately 15 years after the Battle of Actium. It is likely this coin was issued to celebrate the anniversary of the battle which formally ended the civil wars and was the turning point in Rome’s history. This mint could have also coincided with the games held by Augustus every 4 years to celebrate the victory. The use of Apollo on the coin reinforces the propagandistic idea that Augustus was chosen by the gods to rule Rome and begin a new age of peace for Rome. The legend on the reverse (AVGVSTI DIVI F) also infers this message by referring to him as the son of a god (the deified Julius Caesar). The use of Apollo may also be a reference to his religious piety. An important aspect of Augustus’ propaganda campaign, which this coin was most likely apart of, was to share and promote old republican values –  such as piety. By distributing a coin linking him with his divine father and depicting the god Apollo, he is able to promote the ideal of piety while also illustrating himself as a good roman following values of this type.

AUGUSTUS AND APOLLO