Bronze As of Augustus by Tiberius RIC 83

Augustus
Bronze AS struck under Tiberius AD 14-37

Obverse: DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER
Bare head left

Reverse: SC Winged thunderbolt with SC on either side.

RIC-0083 (TIB) 24mm 8.58g
Uncleaned Coin Find

This coin is a fantastic piece of history! It is a bronze As (a common, everyday Roman coin used to buy basic things like a loaf of bread or a jug of wine).

Even though it features the face of Rome's very first emperor, Augustus, it wasn't actually made by him. It was struck by his stepson and successor, Tiberius, sometime between AD 14 and 37.

The historical context behind why this coin was made boils down to family drama, politics, and a massive PR campaign.

1. The Divine Father (The Obverse)

The front of the coin shows the bare head of Augustus with the words:

DIVVS AVGVSTVS PATER (Divine Augustus, the Father)

• The History: Augustus died in AD 14. He was incredibly popular because he had ended decades of bloody civil wars and started the Pax Romana (a long period of Roman peace). After he died, the Roman Senate officially declared him a god.
• The Strategy: By calling Augustus "Divine" and "Father" on a coin that millions of regular people would handle every day, Tiberius was reminding everyone of how great the first emperor was—and setting up the ultimate family flex.

2. The Power Move by Tiberius

Tiberius had a tough job. He was Rome's second emperor, which meant he had no blueprint for how to rule. He wasn't particularly popular, he was quite moody, and people were naturally nervous about what would happen to Rome now that the great Augustus was gone.

To secure his throne, Tiberius used these coins as a brilliant propaganda tool. By putting his adoptive father’s face on the money and labeling him a god, Tiberius was subtly telling the public: "Hey, look at my dad! He's a god up in Elysium, which means you can trust me to run things down here." It gave Tiberius the political legitimacy he desperately needed.

3. Zeus's Weapon (The Reverse)

On the back, you see a winged thunderbolt flanked by the massive letters S C.

• The Thunderbolt: In ancient Rome, the thunderbolt was the ultimate symbol of Jupiter (Zeus), the king of the gods. Putting a thunderbolt on this coin was a visual way of saying Augustus now wielded divine, cosmic power in the afterlife.
• The "S C" Letters: This stands for Senatus Consulto ("By Decree of the Senate"). It was a stamp of approval showing that the Roman Senate authorized the coin, proving that the government and the new emperor were totally on the same page.

The Big Picture: This coin wasn't just pocket change; it was a pocket-sized billboard. It told the citizens of the Roman Empire that the spirit of Augustus was watching over them, and that Tiberius was the rightful, divinely sanctioned ruler to keep the peace.