Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Live Auction 6 25 Mar 2023
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Augustus and Agrippa Æ As of Nemausus, Gaul. Circa 10 BC - AD 10. Back to back laureate and rostral crowned head of Agrippa to left and head of Augustus to right, wearing oak wreath; IMP above, DIVI F below / Crocodile to right, chained to palm tree behind, wreath above; COL-NEM across fields. RIC I 158; RPC I 524; AMC 425. 12.37g, 26mm, 11h.
Good Very Fine.
From the collection of a Romanophile;
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 41, 2 December 2017, lot 432.
This artistically fascinating and typologically unique issue refers directly to the victory of Octavian (as was) and Agrippa at Actium over the forces of Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony, and to the settlement of veterans in Nemausus. The crocodile, collared around the neck and chained to a palm on the reverse of this coin is a clear reference to the subjugation of Egypt, thus obliquely referring also to Antony and Cleopatra; the wreath above with ties fluttering in the breeze is a reminder that the war was both just and necessary, with the victory having brought about the deliverance and salvation of the Roman people and the state. It is noteworthy also that the portraits of Agrippa and Augustus on the obverse are presented on the same level and back to back, at once recalling the ancient Janiform types once so prevalent on the Roman coinage, and also presenting princeps and general as inseparable and heroic partners - the one adorned with a wreath of laurel, the other with a rostral wreath in recognition for his naval victories.
Good Very Fine.
From the collection of a Romanophile;
Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 41, 2 December 2017, lot 432.
This artistically fascinating and typologically unique issue refers directly to the victory of Octavian (as was) and Agrippa at Actium over the forces of Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony, and to the settlement of veterans in Nemausus. The crocodile, collared around the neck and chained to a palm on the reverse of this coin is a clear reference to the subjugation of Egypt, thus obliquely referring also to Antony and Cleopatra; the wreath above with ties fluttering in the breeze is a reminder that the war was both just and necessary, with the victory having brought about the deliverance and salvation of the Roman people and the state. It is noteworthy also that the portraits of Agrippa and Augustus on the obverse are presented on the same level and back to back, at once recalling the ancient Janiform types once so prevalent on the Roman coinage, and also presenting princeps and general as inseparable and heroic partners - the one adorned with a wreath of laurel, the other with a rostral wreath in recognition for his naval victories.