Augustus, 27 BC-14 AD.
AR Denarius, Uncertain mint in the northern Peloponnnesos, circa 21 BC.
Obverse: Uncertain mint in the northern Peloponnnesos, circa 21 BC. AVGVSTVS Bare head of Augustus to right.
Reverse: IOVI - OLVM The hexastyle temple of Zeus at Olympia, seen from the front, with a round shield in the pediment and palmettes on the roof.
Reference: Bauten 159. BMC 665. BN 939. Cohen 182. RIC 472. RCV 1614. Rare.
Size:16 mm. Weight: 3.1 g.
Provincial politics during the early reign of Augustus
This coin was struck at the beginning of Augustus’ trip to the East (22-19 BC), while he was traveling across the Peloponnesos after having arrived at Patrai. Where it was struck is uncertain: it could conceivably have been produced at Elis or even Patrai. In any event, the engravers were surely Greek, since the Latin lettering is somewhat awkwardly done.
This coin provides one more intriguing piece of evidence of the paradoxical relationship regarding Augustus’ conscious crafting of his public image. While the reverse clearly features the temple of Zeus Olympios, it is unclear whether it is the one in Athens, or more likely, that at Olympia. During the years following Actium, Octavian spent much time in the East, reinforcing his control over Antony’s former power base, as well as helping to alleviate the suffering of its cities following the Civil War. When he received the epithet Augustus, these cities, including Pergamum, sought to honor him and allude to his increased divinity, not only as the son of the Divus Julius, but akin to Zeus himself. Unlike the more conservative Rome mint, which balked at such overtures, the eastern mints, with their long tradition of ascribing divinity to such rulers, were comfortable in doing so.
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, built between 472 and 456 BC, was an ancient temple; the very model of the fully-developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order. It stood in the most famous sanctuary of Greece, which had been dedicated to local and Pan-Hellenic deities and had probably been established towards the end of the Mycenaean period. The Altis, the enclosure with its sacred grove, open-air altars and the tumulus of Pelops, was first formed during the tenth and ninth centuries BC. The temple housed the Statue of Zeus - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Chryselephantine statue was made by the sculptor Phidias in his workshop on the site at Olympia, taking about twelve years to complete, and it stood approximately 13 metres (43 ft) high, occupying the whole width of the aisle in the temple built to house it. "It seems that if Zeus were to stand up," the geographer Strabo noted early in the first century BC, "he would unroof the temple." In his right hand he held a figure of Nike, the goddess of victory, also made from ivory and gold, and in his left hand, a sceptre made with many kinds of metal, with an eagle perched on the top. His sandals were made of gold and so was his robe. His garments were carved with animals and with lilies. The throne was decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory. This statue was the most famous work in all of Greece.
In 426 AD, Theodosius II ordered the destruction of the sanctuary, and earthquakes in 522 and 551 devastated the ruins and left the Temple of Zeus partially buried.
Augustus' relationship with the God of Thunder
"This is what we are told of his attitude towards matters of religion. He was somewhat weak in his fear of thunder and lightning, for he always carried a seal-skin about with him everywhere as a protection, and at any sign of a violent storm took refuge in an underground vaulted room; for as I have said, he was once badly frightened by a narrow escape from lightning during a journey by night." Suetonius 90
"He dedicated the shrine to Jupiter the Thunderer because of a narrow escape; for on his Cantabrian expedition during a march by night, a flash of lightning grazed his litter and struck the slave dead who was carrying a torch before him. " Suetonius 29
According to Suetonius, the experience was so frightening for Augustus that he developed a great fear of lighting and thunderstorms. His fear was allegedly so intense that he wore protective amulets and fled into underground shelters during heavy storms.
Whatever the real truth may have been, Augustus was inspired to construct a temple for Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in Rome around the time of the Cantabrian campaign. When construction was completed around 22 BCE, it was regarded as one of the most beautiful and impressive architectural works in the capital city. Suetonius included it in his list of the three most magnificent public works produced during the reign of Augustus. The building was fittingly titled the Temple of Jupiter Tonans, or the Temple of Jupiter the Thunderer.
While still named Octavian, he bought the house of the famous orator Quintus Hortensius – a contemporary of Cicero, who wrote about him – and used the site for his own projects. While the expanded villa was being constructed in 36 BC, the building was struck by lightning, and this was interpreted by the soothsayers as a sign from the god Apollo. Consequently, Octavian had a magnificent temple to Apollo built on the spot where the lightning had struck, and organised an inauguration ceremony with the court poets
Riferimento : RCV 1614
Fonte : https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&si...
Collezione : II Roman Imperial Coins - 12 Caesars