Silver Denarius of Octavian
Date28 BCE
PeriodRoman Imperatorial
MediumSilver
Dimensions21 mm, 3.51 g
Credit LineGift of Drs. John and Bessie Sawhill
Object number2024.1.18
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionObv: Bare head of Octavian right, lituus behind; behind CAESAR; before COS VI
Rev: Crocodile, standing right; AEGYPTO CAPTA above and in exergue
RIC I 275a; CRI 430; BMCRR East 243
NotesRoman coins often celebrated military victories over foreign enemies, showing battle captives, collected arms and mail, and personifications of the land subdued. This coin follows that tradition and loudly proclaims the defeat of Marc Antony and Cleopatra and the capture of Egypt. The once mighty and independent kingdom had been reduced to the status of a Roman province through its new master, Caesar.
These coins are the last of the “Imperatorial” period, and Octavian was not yet known as Augustus or an Emperor. These titles would occur in the following year, but the implications of this conquest are clear. Throughout the Imperial period, Egypt would be the sole domain of the Emperors and receive all its revenues as personal property. The riches of Egypt were not in gold or silver but in the grain supply needed to feed the population of Rome. This resource was so precious that to prevent rival centers of power, no Senator was permitted to visit Egypt, and the governing prefect was always an Equites (non-Senatorial elite) personally loyal to the Emperor.
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