Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Cistophorus - Augustus S P R SIGNIS RECEPTIS IMP IX TR PO V
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 19 BC - 18 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Cistophorus = 3 Drachms = 3 Denarii |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A triumphal arch is depicted at centre, its architrave inscribed IMP IX TR PO V; the arch is surmounted by a quadriga driven by a charioteer facing right. Flanking the arch on either side stand legionary aquilae (eagle standards) mounted on poles, commemorating the recovery of the standards lost at the Battle of Carrhae (53 BC) from the Parthians. The composition is bold and emblematic, conveying a strong political message of Roman military restoration under Augustus. The legend S P R SIGNIS RECEPTIS frames the design, referencing the senate, the Roman people, and the restitution of the standards. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The legend references the recovery of the Parthian standards lost at Carrhae in 53 BC, when Crassus's legions were destroyed — a military humiliation Rome had nursed for over three decades. Augustus secured their return through diplomacy in 19 BC, not combat, but the coinage was struck to project the image of martial triumph regardless. The senate's involvement in that propaganda is baked into the obverse legend itself.
Cistophori were produced at Pergamon for circulation in the eastern provinces, where the three-denarii-equivalent weight standard had been entrenched since Attalid rule.