ROMAN EMPIRE. Augustus with Tiberius (Caesar).
Silver Denarius, AD 13-14. Lugdunum.
Obv: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head of Augustus right. Rev: AVG F TR POT XV, Tiberius, laureate, standing right in triumphal quadriga, holding laurel and eagle tipped sceptre; TI CAESAR in exergue.

Good Very Fine; rev. struck off-centre, attractively toned with underlying lustre.

The relationship between Augustus and Tiberius, as depicted in the classic novel I, Claudius by Robert Graves, is notably strained and contentious, but the reality was more complex and less overtly antagonistic. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, initially had little affection for Tiberius, who was his stepson through his marriage to Livia Drusilla. Augustus viewed Tiberius as a necessary but unenthusiastic successor, especially after the deaths of his preferred heirs, including his grandsons Gaius and Lucius. Tiberius, for his part, was often portrayed as a brooding and reluctant figure, compelled by duty rather than ambition. However, despite these tensions, Augustus eventually relied heavily on Tiberius in military and administrative matters, recognising not only his competence, but his loyalty too. The relationship was thus marked more by resignation and duty than by the overt hostility; while Augustus may have been wary of Tiberius's dour personality, there was a pragmatic bond between them rooted in the needs of the empire, even if not in personal affection.

Reference: RIC I-222; Lyon-90; RSC-300.
Die Axis: 2h.
Diameter: 18 mm.
Weight: 3.31 g.