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Denarius - Augustus MAR VLT, Mars
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 18 BC |
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| Currency | Denarius, Reform of Augustus (27 BC – AD 215) |
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| Reverse description | A hexastyle tetrastyle-fronted domed temple depicted in detailed architectural perspective, identified as the Temple of Mars Ultor, vowed by Augustus before the Battle of Philippi and dedicated in 2 BC. The temple's elaborate façade features six columns with ornate capitals, a richly decorated pediment, and a prominent domed roof visible above. Between the central columns, a military aquila (legionary eagle) is flanked by two military standards, symbolizing the recovery of the Parthian standards lost at Carrhae. The legend MAR VLT (Mars Ultor) is divided across the left and right fields. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
This denarius belongs to the coinage struck to celebrate the diplomatic recovery of the Roman standards lost by Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC and by Antony in subsequent Parthian campaigns — a humiliation Rome had nursed for decades. Augustus secured their return in 20 BC through negotiation rather than force, then systematically promoted the event as a military triumph in all but name. The mint output of 18 BC falls squarely within that propaganda campaign.
RIC I 105A is among the types attributed to the Spanish mints at Colonia Patricia or Emerita, not Rome itself — a detail that occasionally surprises collectors expecting metropolitan fabric.