ROMAN IMPERATORIAL - Marc Antony & Octavian - Triumvirs -
Silver Denarius (3.8 grams) Rome mint: 41 B.C.
Reference: B.M.C. 103; Craw. 517/2 ---
Obverse: M . ANT . IMP . AVG . III . VIR . R . P . C. M. BarBAT . Q . P. - Bare
head of Marc Antony right. Reverse: CAESAR IMP . PONT . III . VIR . R . P . C. -
Bare head of Augustus right [F banker's mark on neck].
* Numismatic Note: Rare, interesting, highly-coveted dual-portrait quality
authentic ancient roman coin.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
Marcus Antonius (in
Latin:
M·ANTONIVS·M·F·M·N[1])
(c. January 14, 83 BC–August 1, 30 BC), known in English
as
Mark Antony, was a
Roman
politician and
General. He was an important supporter and the loyal friend of
Gaius
Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's
second cousin, once removed, by his mother
Julia
Antonia. After Caesar's
assassination, Antony formed an official political alliance with Octavian (Augustus)
and
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, known to historians today as the
Second Triumvirate.
The
triumvirate broke up in 33 BC. Disagreement between Octavian and Antony
erupted into civil war, the
Final War of the Roman Republic, in 31 BC. Antony was defeated by Octavian
at the naval
Battle of Actium, and in a brief land battle at
Alexandria.
He committed suicide, and his lover,
Cleopatra, killed herself shortly thereafter.
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August
AD
14) was the first
emperor of the
Roman
Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.[note
1]
Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was
adopted by
his great-uncle
Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and between then and 27 BC was officially named
Gaius Julius Caesar. In 27 BC the Senate awarded him the honorific
Augustus, and thus consequently he was Gaius Julius Caesar
Augustus.[note
2] Because of the various names he bore, it is common to call him
Octavius when referring to events between 63 and 44 BC, Octavian (or
Octavianus) when referring to events between 44 and 27 BC, and
Augustus when referring to events after 27 BC.
The young Octavius came into his inheritance after Caesar's assassination in
44 BC. In 43 BC, Octavian joined forces with
Mark
Antony and
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in a
military dictatorship known as the
Second Triumvirate. As a
triumvir, Octavian ruled Rome and many of its provinces[note
3] as an
autocrat, seizing consular power after the deaths of the consuls
Hirtius and
Pansa and having himself perpetually re-elected. The triumvirate was
eventually torn apart under the competing ambitions of its rulers: Lepidus was
driven into exile, and Antony committed suicide following his defeat at the
Battle of Actium by the fleet of Octavian commanded by
Agrippa in 31 BC.
After the demise of the Second Triumvirate, Octavian restored the outward
facade of the
Roman Republic, with governmental power vested in the
Roman
Senate, but in practice retained his autocratic power. It took several years
to determine the exact framework by which a formally republican state could be
led by a sole ruler; the result became known as the
Roman
Empire. The emperorship was never an office like the
Roman dictatorship which Caesar and
Sulla had held before him; indeed, he declined it when the Roman populace
"entreated him to take on the dictatorship".[1]
By law, Augustus held a collection of powers granted to him for life by the
Senate, including those of
tribune of
the plebs and
censor.
He was
consul until 23 BC.[2]
His substantive power stemmed from financial success and resources gained in
conquest, the building of patronage relationships throughout the Empire, the
loyalty of many military soldiers and veterans, the authority of the many honors
granted by the Senate,[3]
and the respect of the people. Augustus' control over the majority of Rome's
legions
established an armed threat that could be used against the Senate, allowing him
to coerce the Senate's decisions. With his ability to eliminate senatorial
opposition by means of arms, the Senate became docile towards his paramount
position. His rule through patronage, military power, and accumulation of the
offices of the defunct Republic became the model for all later imperial
government.
The rule of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the
Pax Romana,
or Roman peace. Despite continuous frontier wars, and one
year-long civil war over the imperial succession, the Mediterranean world
remained at peace for more than two centuries. Augustus expanded the Roman
Empire, secured its boundaries with
client
states, and made peace with
Parthia
through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed
networks
of roads with an official
courier
system, established a standing army (and a small navy), established the
Praetorian Guard, and created official police and fire-fighting forces for
Rome. Much of the city was rebuilt under Augustus; and he wrote a record of his
own accomplishments, known as the
Res Gestae Divi Augusti, which has survived. Upon his death in AD 14,
Augustus was declared a god by the Senate, to be worshipped by the Romans.[4]
His names Augustus and Caesar were adopted by every subsequent emperor, and the
month of
Sextilis was officially renamed August in his honour. He was succeeded by
his stepson and son-in-law,
Tiberius. |