Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXIII 24-25 Mar 2022
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Augustus AV Aureus. Spanish mint (Colonia Patricia?), 18-16 BC. S•P•Q•R•IMP•CAESARI•AVG•COS•XI•TRI•POT•VI, bare head to right / CIVIB•ET•SIGN•MILIT•A•[PART• ...], triple triumphal arch, central arch surmounted by statue of Augustus driving a facing quadriga; figure on left arch holding a standard, figure on right arch holding an aquila and bow. Cf. RIC I 135; C. -; BMCRE -; BN -; Calicó 192, 194-5; Banti & Simonetti IV, 55, 58-9.
NGC graded Ch XF 4/5 - 2/5, scuffs, banker's mark (#6156281-003). Of the greatest rarity - a very rare variety of an extremely rare type.
Acquired from Numismatica Ars Classica.
This coin depicts the now ruined arch of Augustus which originally stood in the Forum Romanum, spanning the road between the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Temple of Caesar. According to the literary evidence, two arches were erected in honour of Augustus in the Forum: one in 29 BC to commemorate his victory at Actium (see Cassius Dio 49.15), the other in 19 BC to celebrate the return of the legionary standards lost by Crassus to the Parthians in 53 BC (see Cassius Dio 51.19). This latter coup was of great importance to Augustus and was also commemorated on the famed Prima Porta statue found at the villa of Livia. It seems that Augustus belatedly understood that commemoration of his victory over fellow Romans at the battle at Actium was not well received by the people, but a victory over a foreign enemy which restored soldiers and standards lost in a disastrous stain upon the Roman military record would be a perfect opportunity for cementing his position as saviour of the nation. Indeed, in 1546/7 an inscription dated to 29 BC and dedicated to Augustus was found at the site of the ruins and has been linked to this triumphal arch; inscribed upon it is a clear message that Augustus through this victory was able to save the Republic - perhaps a highly exaggerated statement since the sources seem to suggest that the Parthians reacted meekly to Augustus' show of force and chose to return the standards and captives rather than risk open war.
The appearance of this arch is preserved solely through the numismatic record, as seen on this coin, without which the identification of the archaeological ruins found in the Forum would be uncertain. The remains indicate the presence of a triple arch at the spot where the ancient sources say there was an arch to Augustus, therefore this could not be the Actian Arch which was similarly preserved through numismatic representations (see RIC 267, CRI 422) as a single span arch. Since no remains of a second arch of Augustus have been found in the Forum, this has led many to conclude that this 'Parthian Arch' was an expansion or replacement of the old Actian Arch. This theory is problematic to some scholars since Augustus does not mention either arch in his Res Gestae, a list of his achievements which certainly did not withhold from self-aggrandizement, however the archaeological evidence seems clear. The present type is thus an important archaeological document, allowing for the reconstruction of an early Imperial monument which is otherwise survived only by partial travertine foundations and some marble fragments which have been set atop them in modern brick beds.
The choice of imagery on the coin itself highlights the political position of Augustus at this time. He does not appear as a ruler, but bare-headed and without drapery or military attire, whereas the reverse depicts the monument dedicated to his glory with the statues atop the arch of equal height to the structure itself, allowing the recovered standards to be seen clearly and in detail as the pretext for this laudatory monument. The standards were later placed in the Temple of Mars Ultor in the Forum of Augustus which was inaugurated in 2 BC.
NGC graded Ch XF 4/5 - 2/5, scuffs, banker's mark (#6156281-003). Of the greatest rarity - a very rare variety of an extremely rare type.
Acquired from Numismatica Ars Classica.
This coin depicts the now ruined arch of Augustus which originally stood in the Forum Romanum, spanning the road between the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Temple of Caesar. According to the literary evidence, two arches were erected in honour of Augustus in the Forum: one in 29 BC to commemorate his victory at Actium (see Cassius Dio 49.15), the other in 19 BC to celebrate the return of the legionary standards lost by Crassus to the Parthians in 53 BC (see Cassius Dio 51.19). This latter coup was of great importance to Augustus and was also commemorated on the famed Prima Porta statue found at the villa of Livia. It seems that Augustus belatedly understood that commemoration of his victory over fellow Romans at the battle at Actium was not well received by the people, but a victory over a foreign enemy which restored soldiers and standards lost in a disastrous stain upon the Roman military record would be a perfect opportunity for cementing his position as saviour of the nation. Indeed, in 1546/7 an inscription dated to 29 BC and dedicated to Augustus was found at the site of the ruins and has been linked to this triumphal arch; inscribed upon it is a clear message that Augustus through this victory was able to save the Republic - perhaps a highly exaggerated statement since the sources seem to suggest that the Parthians reacted meekly to Augustus' show of force and chose to return the standards and captives rather than risk open war.
The appearance of this arch is preserved solely through the numismatic record, as seen on this coin, without which the identification of the archaeological ruins found in the Forum would be uncertain. The remains indicate the presence of a triple arch at the spot where the ancient sources say there was an arch to Augustus, therefore this could not be the Actian Arch which was similarly preserved through numismatic representations (see RIC 267, CRI 422) as a single span arch. Since no remains of a second arch of Augustus have been found in the Forum, this has led many to conclude that this 'Parthian Arch' was an expansion or replacement of the old Actian Arch. This theory is problematic to some scholars since Augustus does not mention either arch in his Res Gestae, a list of his achievements which certainly did not withhold from self-aggrandizement, however the archaeological evidence seems clear. The present type is thus an important archaeological document, allowing for the reconstruction of an early Imperial monument which is otherwise survived only by partial travertine foundations and some marble fragments which have been set atop them in modern brick beds.
The choice of imagery on the coin itself highlights the political position of Augustus at this time. He does not appear as a ruler, but bare-headed and without drapery or military attire, whereas the reverse depicts the monument dedicated to his glory with the statues atop the arch of equal height to the structure itself, allowing the recovered standards to be seen clearly and in detail as the pretext for this laudatory monument. The standards were later placed in the Temple of Mars Ultor in the Forum of Augustus which was inaugurated in 2 BC.