Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.84 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Rome, 13 BC. C. Antistius Reginus, moneyer. CAESAR [AVGVSTVS], bare head of Augustus right. Reverse: [C ANTIST]IVS REGINVS around, III VIR in exergue, sacrificial implements: simpulum and lituus above tripod and patera. RIC 410; BN 542-7; BMCR 119-20; RSC 347. Nice bold portait. Toned. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600
The host of religious implements depicted on the reverse of this denarius advertise the religious authority of Augustus, who took great pains to restore (sometimes going so far as to reinvent) the cults of Rome as a means of maintaining the pax deorum ("peace of the gods") or harmony between mankind and the gods. The simpulum was a type of ladle used to pour libations and frequently served as a symbol of the pontifices, the highest Roman priestly college with fifteen priests; the lituus was a wand used by the augurs, the college of priests charged with interpreting omens, while the tripod and patera are more general sacrificial emblems. Together they represent the emperor's preeminent position as Pontifex Maximus, the supreme priest of Rome.