The Augustus of Prima Porta statue, discovered in 1863 during excavations at Livia's Villa ad Gallinas Albas near Rome, has been dated to around 20 BC and is thought to be a marble copy of a lost bronze original. Augustus is believed to have commissioned the prototype to commemorate the diplomatic recovery of the Roman legionary standards lost to the Parthians at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC — a bloodless political victory his regime promoted relentlessly. Cook Islands has issued dozens of such numismatic art tributes across the 2010s, typically in this weight and alloy, aimed squarely at the collector market rather than circulation.
The Augustus of Prima Porta statue, discovered in 1863 during excavations at Livia's Villa ad Gallinas Albas near Rome, has been dated to around 20 BC and is thought to be a marble copy of a lost bronze original. Augustus is believed to have commissioned the prototype to commemorate the diplomatic recovery of the Roman legionary standards lost to the Parthians at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC — a bloodless political victory his regime promoted relentlessly. Cook Islands has issued dozens of such numismatic art tributes across the 2010s, typically in this weight and alloy, aimed squarely at the collector market rather than circulation.