Augustus

Denarius · Silver

RIC I² 224

Obverse

Head of Augustus, laureate, right

Reverse

Tiberius, laureate, standing right in quadriga, holding laurel branch in right and sceptre in left; horses face left

Historical Note

Tiberius in a triumphal quadriga celebrates one of his three triumphs or ovations: over Pannonia and Dalmatia (AD 12), over Germany, or the ovation of 9 BC for his Balkan campaigns. This type is notable for showing Tiberius — not Augustus — in the quadriga, marking the transition in which Tiberius was increasingly presented as Augustus's successor, particularly after the deaths of Gaius Caesar (AD 4). The horses facing left is a compositional variant.