Coin — Coin of Augustus, Roman, last century BC to 1st century AD
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
last century BC to 1st century AD
Coin — Coin of Augustus, Roman, last century BC to 1st century AD is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated last century BC to 1st century AD. The museum's brief description reads: Coin, silver, head of Augustus / Sphinx, Roman, 1st century BC to 1st century AD.
Museum description: Coin depicts on the obverse: Inscription. Head of Augustus to right. Border of dots. Reverse: Latin inscription. A sphinx seated to right. Border of dots. The museum record gives material recorded as silver; measurements Diameter 24 mm; Weight 12.01 g; place associated: Roman, Asia. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This silver coin of Augustus depicts Augustus on obverse and a sphinx on the reverse. It is struck in Asia. The use of the portrait is the most persistent and usually the most striking feature of coins of the Roman Empire. Particularly during the first three centuries of the Empire's existence (27 BC-AD 284) images of historically recorded (and some unrecorded) people appear on the majority of coins. Roman coins acted as a vehicle for the quick and wide-reaching spread of propagandic images of Imperial power, at the centre of which was the embodiment of Rome and all that its Empire stood for, the Emperor himself. Roman coins survive in very large numbers and are frequently found right across Europe, reaching the furthest corners of the Empire.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver
- Dimensions
- Diameter 24 mm; Weight 12.01 g
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Silver
- Place recorded
- Roman, Asia
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'IMP . CAESAR'; 'AVGVSTVS'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Coin
- Museum object number
- A.700-1910
- Museum system number
- O310888
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Research required
- Mint or printer
- Research required
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.