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Denarius - Augustus VOT P SVSC PRO SAL ET RED I O M SACR, Mars
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
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| Year | 18 BC - 17 BC |
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| Value | 1 Denarius |
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| Obverse description | Bare head of Augustus facing right, rendered in fine Classical style with naturalistic portraiture characteristic of early Augustan coinage. The emperor's hair is depicted in carefully detailed wavy locks swept forward over the brow, a hallmark of his official portrait type. The legend encircles the field, reading S P Q R IMP CAESARI, distributed to either side of the effigy. The truncation of the neck is plain, without drapery, conforming to the republican tradition of unadorned portraiture. The overall execution reflects the high standard of die-cutting associated with the Spanish mint issues of this period. |
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| Reverse description | Mars, god of war, depicted standing to the left in martial attire, wearing a crested helmet and a military cloak (paludamentum). He holds a vexillum (military standard) in his right hand, its shaft resting on the ground, and carries a parazonium (short sword) resting on his left shoulder. The figure is rendered in a commanding, upright pose consistent with Augustan classicizing style. The encircling legend VOT P SVSC PRO SAL ET RED I O M SACR records the public vows undertaken for the emperor's safety and return, dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus. |
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Issued in 18–17 BC, this denarius belongs to a politically charged series tied to Augustus's return from the eastern provinces in 19 BC, during which he recovered the standards lost by Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC. The vow inscriptions — pro salute et reditu — were formal religious obligations made on behalf of the emperor's health and safe return, fulfilled publicly in Rome with sacrifices to Jupiter Optimus Maximus.
RIC I 148 is among several types from this period struck under the moneyer series reinstated by Augustus, part of his broader effort to reassert traditional Republican coinage forms while concentrating actual monetary authority firmly in his own hands.