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Imagines Imperatorum - Images of Power
- Roman Portraits on Coins -
Republic to Augustus

Imperial Portrait types were controlled by the imperial administration, aligned to and combined with propaganda messages such as military victories, or strength of the dynasty. Portraits were distributed to the people across the empire using different and parallel news media. Main news media were sculpture, paintings, medals, and coins. Roman coins of even the most shortlived emperors survived till today, as millions and millions of coins were issued, and people in ancient times proactively tried to hide them away due to their intrinsic metal value. Thus coins are a major source of information for Roman imperial portraits. Except the most esotheric usurpators, all Roman Emperors and many of their family members had coins with their portraits issued.

In this section we present high quality portrait coins for every Emperor or family member known to have been shown on Roman coins, with portraits from the late Roman Republic after the middle of the 1st century BC to Justinian 1st in the early 6th century AD. Coins were selected for highest quality representation of each portrait type and best state of conservation. 

All images are copyright protected, please respect this copyright ! Any use without written permission is illegal.
Images are shown here in reduced resolution but can be made available in  highest resolution for print publications (300dpi up to poster size).  Also all reverse images are available.
Please note some exceptional coin images are marked with the request to contact us to see the full image.
Please contact Andreas Pangerl at romancoins.info@yahoo.com for details.



Sulla and Rufus Consules

11

Unknown Republican and Julius Caesar
11

Julius Caesar
11

Brutus
11

Labienus
11

Ahenobarbus and Pompeius magnus
11

Pompeius Magnus


Sextus Pompeius, his father and older brother


Marcus Antonius

  

Marcus and Lucius Antonius

 

Caius Antonius and Fulvia

Cleopatra



Lepidus and Imperator Caesar

Caesar Imperator


Augustus






Octavia, sister of Augustus

Divus Augustus and Diva Augusta (Livia)

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