Rare and very interesting denarius struck at Lugdunum in AD 15–16, at the very beginning of the reign of Tiberius. The obverse presents the new emperor as TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS – Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the deified Augustus, emphasising dynastic continuity and his position as the legal successor to the founder of the Principate.
The reverse refers to the military career of Tiberius. The emperor is depicted standing in a triumphal quadriga, holding a laurel branch and an eagle-tipped sceptre. The type evokes the triumphal honours of Tiberius and employs imagery that had already appeared on his coinage during the reign of Augustus.
The legend TR POT XVII refers to his seventeenth tenure of tribunician power, while IMP VII records his seventh acclamation as imperator. Together, these titles emphasised both the constitutional and military foundations of the new princeps’ authority.
The present denarius belongs to the particularly interesting issues from the opening years of Tiberius’ reign. Rather than creating an entirely new language of imperial propaganda, Tiberius deliberately continued the models established under Augustus, presenting his rule as the natural continuation of the political order created by his predecessor.
Roman Imperial
Octavian Augustus (27 BC-14 AD), Denarius 15-16 AD, Lugdunum mint (Lyon)
Obverse: laureate head of Tiberius right
TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS
Reverse: Tiberius in quadriga right, IMP VII in exergue
TR POT XVII
Diameter 19 mm, weight 3.63 g
