Augustus. 27 BC – AD 14. Denarius, Rome, 12 BC

Augustus. 27 BC – AD 14. Denarius, Rome, 12 BC. AR, 3.82 g, 19.5 mm, 9 h. Moneyer: L. Caninius Gallus.

Obv. AVGVSTVS. Bare head of Augustus right.

Rev. L·CANINIVS·GALLVS·III·VIR. A bearded barbarian, cloaked, kneeling right and offering a vexillum.

Refs: RIC I² 416; Cohen 383.

Struck under the moneyer L. Caninius Gallus, this denarius typifies the coinage of Augustus’ later years, where themes of conquest and submission underscored the emperor’s position as bringer of peace through victory. The obverse presents Augustus in the dignified simplicity of a bare head portrait, emphasising his singular authority and moral virtue.

The reverse depicts a defeated barbarian presenting a military standard, the vexillum, in an act of formal submission. Such imagery was carefully chosen to remind Rome’s citizens of Augustus’ successful campaigns and the subjugation of foreign peoples, thereby justifying his unparalleled political authority. It also reflects the ideology of the Pax Romana: peace achieved through Roman dominance, embodied by the humbled enemy yielding his insignia of war.

The moneyer himself, L. Caninius Gallus, was one of the tresviri monetales responsible for the minting of the state’s coinage. By associating his name with Augustus’ military triumphs, Gallus both honoured the princeps and ensured his own family’s visibility within the political landscape of the early Principate.