Augustus

Aureus · Gold

RIC I² 196

Obverse

Head of Augustus, laureate, right

Reverse

Diana, draped, advancing right, holding bow in left hand and drawing arrow from quiver with right

Historical Note

Diana appears on Augustan coins in her role as twin of Apollo, Augustus's patron deity. The Temple of Apollo Palatinus (28 BC) was built adjacent to a shrine of Diana, and the two deities were paired in the Augustan religious programme. Diana advancing with bow and arrow is shown in her huntress aspect — active, purposeful, and martial, a fitting symbol alongside Apollo for a reign that celebrated both culture and conquest.