Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BCE. Early coins depicted the heads of gods and goddesses on the front side, often in profile, while the back depicted animals, natural resources, symbols, and references to historical events. It was not until 44 BCE that the portrait of a living person\u2014Julius Caesar\u2014appeared on coins. Thereafter, profile portraits of rulers or other members of the imperial family became the standard subject on coins throughout the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n
Inscriptions on coins help identify the ruler. While the front side depicted the sovereign\u2019s portrait, the back was often used to communicate the ruler\u2019s accomplishments or aspirations. Until Late Antiquity, portraits usually appeared in profile. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, with one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how coins are created today.<\/p>\n
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Roman Emperor Augustus facing left, with a civic oak crown. The back (reverse) depicts a comet. Early imperial coin portraits included individualized features that identified each ruler. Augustus (reigned 27 BC\u2013AD 14), was the first Roman emperor and dictated that he retain his youthful appearance in his portraits throughout his lifetime.<\/p>\n","short_description":null,"dimensions":"Diam.: 2 cm (13\/16 in.)","dimensions_detail":[{"depth":null,"width":null,"height":null,"diameter":2,"clarification":null}],"medium_display":"Silver","inscriptions":"Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS\n\"Augustus Caesar\"\nReverse: DIVVS IVLIVS\n\"Divine Julius\"","credit_line":"Gift of Martin A. Ryerson","catalogue_display":null,"publication_history":"The Art Institute of Chicago, \"Ancient Greek and Roman Coins,\" Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago 72, 5 (September-October 1978), p. 2 (ill.).\n\nKaren B. Alexander, \"From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,\" in Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), p. 29.\n\nTheresa Gross-Diaz, \u201cCat. 35 Denarius Portraying Augustus: Curatorial Entry,\u201d in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016).\nhttps:\/\/publications.artic.edu\/roman\/reader\/romanart\/section\/533\n\nElizabeth Hahn Benge, \"From Aegina to Andronicus: A Survey of Coinage at the Art Institute of Chicago,\" in Historia Mundi n. 5 (January 2016), pp. 209, 210, fig. 12.","exhibition_history":"Art Institute of Chicago, Power Struggles: Cleopatra's Relatives and Their Rivals, Gallery 155 (Coin Case), November 2001 - 2007.\n\nArt Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 152, July 2013 - present.","provenance_text":"Martin A. 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