Page "Roman currency" Paragraph 17

The main focus of the imagery during the empire was on the portrait of the emperor.

Coins were an important means of disseminating this image throughout the empire.

Coins often attempted to make the emperor appear god-like through associating the emperor with attributes normally seen in divinities, or emphasizing the special relationship between the emperor and a particular deity by producing a preponderance of coins depicting that deity.

During his campaign against Pompey, Caesar issued a variety of types that featured images of either Venus or Aeneas, attempting to associate himself with his divine ancestors.

An example of an emperor who went to an extreme in proclaiming divine status was Commodus.

In 192, he issued a series of coins depicting his bust clad in a lion-skin ( the usual depiction of Hercules ) on the obverse, and an inscription proclaiming that he was the Roman incarnation of Hercules on the reverse.

Although Commodus was excessive in his depiction of his image, this extreme case is indicative of the objective of many emperors in the exploitation of their portraits.

While the emperor is by far the most frequent portrait on the obverse of coins, heirs apparent, predecessors, and other family members, such as empresses, were also featured.

To aid in succession, the legitimacy of an heir was affirmed by producing coins for that successor.

This was done from the time of Augustus till the end of the empire.