Tiberius, A.D. 14-37. Denarius, Lugdunum (Lyon), Group 3, ca. A.D. 18

Tiberius, A.D. 14-37. Denarius, Lugdunum (Lyon), Group 3, ca. A.D. 18. Silver 18 mm, 3.72 g, die axis 2 h.

Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS – Laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. [PONTIF] MAXIM – Livia, as Pax, seated right on a high-backed chair with ornate baluster legs set on a low base; she holds an inverted spear in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. Ref. BMC 45; Cohen 16; Giard 148; RIC I² 30 var. (sceptre instead of spear). Bright silver surfaces with light golden-grey cabinet tone and sharply struck legends

This is the classic “Tribute Penny” type, immortalised by the Gospel episode of Matthew 22. Although any Tiberian denarius might fit the biblical account, the Pax/Livia reverse is the most widely accepted candidate. The coin’s iconography is dense with political messaging: the obverse proclaims Tiberius as heir of the deified Augustus, while the reverse underscores his priestly supremacy (Pontifex Maximus) and dynastic legitimacy through the person of Livia, Rome’s formidable matriarch, transformed here into Pax. The substitution of an inverted spear for the more usual sceptre subtly implies that war has been made redundant by the peace delivered under Julio-Claudian rule. Despite its enormous mintage, the type remains a cornerstone of early-imperial numismatics, prized equally by students of Roman propaganda and by collectors drawn to its biblical fame.