Capricorn galore! A ring bezel compared to an Augustus denarius and a Vespasian one! Post your capricorns here :)

[AncientCoinnoisseur]

 

AUGUSTAN CAPRICORN BEZEL

Date: Roman Augustan period, after 31 BC - 14 AD.

Description: Bronze ring bezel with engraving of a Capricorn on the left, surmounted by a cornucopia and with a rostrum below.

Dimensions: 16.5 x 12.5 mm.

 

The representation of the zodiac sign of Capricorn becomes common during the second half of the first century BC, when Octavian becomes Augustus and the Roman Republic officially ends.

Once the period of the 'Divus Filius' is over, in which Octavian had to affirm his direct descent from Caesar in order to claim the power that would later be imperial, a phase begins in which he will put aside his adoptive father figure, in order to be able to free himself as a 'new' entity.

Capricorn was the zodiac sign of Augustus (sign of conception and not of birth, as in use among the Romans), it will be widely used.

This bezel represents a celebratory ship's rostrum and is therefore certainly subsequent to the naval battle of Actium in 31 BC, in which Octavian's ships, commanded by Agrippa, defeated those of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, marking the end of the dispute.

Many of Augustus' reverses will be revived by Vespasian, as we can see with my denarius on the bottom. In the middle panel, I have inverted the colors of my bezel and flipped it, in order to compare it with an Augustus denarius on the left, and a woodcut on the right. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make an actual impression of my bezel, since it is too thin and brittle. I don't know what material to use in order to make a real impression to photograph without damaging the bezel, any suggestions are welcome 🙂

Edited August 28, 2024 by AncientCoinnoisseur
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