"CAESAR AUGUSTUS, SON OF THE DIVINE, FATHER OF THE FATHERLAND"
R E V E R S E
C L CAESARES
AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT
"GAIUS AND LUCIUS CAESARS, SONS OF AUGUSTUS, DESIGNATED CONSULS, PRINCES OF THE YOUTH"
Obverse Legend
CAESARCaesar — Imperial dynastic name, inherited from Julius Caesar
AVGVSTVSAugustus — "The Revered One," supreme imperial title granted by the Senate in 27 BC
DIVI FDivi Filius — "Son of the Divine," referring to his adoptive father Julius Caesar, who was deified after assassination
PATER PATRIAEPater Patriae — "Father of the Fatherland," an honour bestowed by the Senate in 2 BC
Obverse Image
Laureate head of Augustus facing right. The laurel wreath symbolises his role as supreme leader and triumphant general.
Reverse Legend
C L CAESARESCaius et Lucius Caesares — Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Augustus's grandsons and adopted heirs
AVGVSTI FAugusti Filii — "Sons of Augustus"
COS DESIGConsules Designati — "Designated Consuls"
PRINC IVVENTPrincipes Iuventutis — "Princes of the Youth," an honorary military title for imperial heirs
Reverse Image
Gaius and Lucius Caesar standing facing, each wearing a toga and resting a hand on a shield with a spear behind. Between them, a simpulum (ladle) and lituus (augur's wand) — priestly implements symbolising their religious offices. Both heirs died young: Lucius in 2 AD and Gaius in 4 AD, yet coins bearing their image continued to be struck for years after.
Historical Context
Augustus (born Gaius Octavius) became Rome’s first emperor after defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC. He transformed the Roman Republic into the Principate while carefully maintaining the fiction of republican government. This coin’s emphasis on Gaius and Lucius Caesar — his adopted grandsons and intended heirs — reflects Augustus’s obsession with dynastic succession. Both young men died prematurely (AD 4 and AD 2), forcing Augustus to adopt his stepson Tiberius instead. The Augustan coinage from Lugdunum (Lyon) was the most widely circulated currency in the western Roman Empire.
