step nine money talks exercise
Final reflections:
- When you first began this module, what was your initial view(s) about Augustus as a leader?
- How has examining Octavianic/Augustan coinage supported or changed your view(s)?
- How has examining the repertoire Octavianic/Augustan visual media (including coins) as well as literature (e.g. the Aeneid and the Res Gestae) supported or changed your view(s)?
- One of Michael Grant’s most famous books on Roman history is entitled From Imperium to Auctoritas: A Historical Study of Aes Coinage in the Roman Empire 49 BC-AD 14 (1946). Do you think the phrase “from imperium to auctoritas” is an accurate way to trace the development of Augustus’ leadership?
- We generally think of coins and banknotes as portraying various figures of political authority (e.g. Hellenistic monarchs, Roman emperors, and American presidents), but we have seen some more recent currencies which depict other national figures, such as artists. Why do think contemporary currencies no longer portray only figures of political authority?
- In what new way(s) will you look at modern-day leaders on coins and banknotes after studying representations of Octavianic/Augustan leadership on Roman coinage?