Tiberius, 14-37. Denarius, Lugdunum (Lyon),

Tiberius, 14-37. Denarius, Lugdunum (Lyon), Group 3, ca. A.D. 18 Silver 19 mm, 3.85 g, 7 h. Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS – Laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. PONTIF MAXIM – Livia, personifying Pax, seated right on a high-backed chair with ornate baluster legs, holding an olive branch in her left hand and an inverted spear in her right. Ref. BMC 45; Cohen 16; Giard 148; RIC I² 30 var. (sceptre instead of spear). Superbly centred with bold detail on both portraits; light golden toning over lustrous silver surfaces and only the faintest cabinet wisps.

The denarius issue commonly dubbed the “Tribute Penny” derives its fame from the Gospel account (Matt. 22:19–21) in which Jesus, handed a denarius bearing Caesar’s image, utters the famous injunction “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” While any Tiberian denarius might technically fit the story, numismatists since the 16th century have identified this Pax/Livia reverse as the most likely candidate, giving the coin a resonance far beyond secular history.

Struck at Lugdunum in or around A.D. 18, the piece encapsulates Tiberius’ austere public image. The obverse legend stresses his descent from the deified Augustus, while the reverse proclaims him Pontifex Maximus, chief priest of Rome—subtly reminding subjects that imperial power now encompassed both temporal and spiritual spheres. By portraying his formidable mother Livia as Pax, the emperor also broadcast dynastic stability: Livia had been the linchpin of Julio-Claudian legitimacy since the reign of Augustus, and her presence here suggests that peace itself was a family gift to the Roman world. Surviving in vast numbers yet carrying layers of political and religious meaning, this denarius remains one of the most iconic silver coins of the early Empire.