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Semis - Augustus Q VARIO PRAEF
| Issuer | Carthago Nova |
|---|---|
| Year | 27 BC - 14 AD |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | A Roman military trophy stands upright in the field, composed of a helmet surmounting a wooden post hung with captured arms and armour, a common iconographic motif on Hispanic provincial coinage of the Augustan era celebrating Roman military victories. Captive figures may flank the base of the trophy, consistent with parallels on related issues from Carthago Nova. The surrounding legend Q VARIO PRAEF identifies the local magistrate Quintus Varius as prefect, serving as the coin's issuing authority. The design is boldly conceived though the execution shows the irregular flan and variable striking characteristic of provincial hammered bronze coinage. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Carthago Nova — modern Cartagena on Spain's southeastern coast — was one of the wealthiest cities in the Roman west, its fortunes built on the silver mines of the surrounding Sierra Minera. Local magistrates issued bronze coinage in their own names under imperial sanction, and the Q. Varius named in this issue's legend was almost certainly a local duovir exercising the civic privilege of minting. The Spanish provincial series under Augustus remains incompletely catalogued, and the precise relationship between RPC I 163 and adjacent die varieties is still debated among specialists.