Roman Imperial Augustus - Pergamon

The subtle imagery present on this coin makes an important statement about Octavian himself in employing the Capricorn as the primary reverse motif. A mythological creature of Egyptian origin, represented as a goat with a fish tail, it is often thought to be a representation of Pan escaping an attack by the monster Typhon for, having jumped into the Nile, the half of Pan's body which was submerged was transformed into a fish. An alternative interpretation is that the goat is Amalthea, who suckled the infant Zeus after Rhea rescued him from being devoured by his father Cronus. The broken horn of Amalthea transformed into the cornucopiae, which on the present example is carried on the back of the capricorn. It is a symbol of fertility and abundance, and here accompanying the laurel wreath by tradition accorded to victorious commanders is a reference to the peace and prosperity brought about by Augustus' victories and consolidation of the Roman world under the Pax Augusta.

The significance of the constellation Capricorn to Augustus is subject to debate, with some ancient sources reporting that it was his birth sign and others relating that he was conceived under the sign - the latter tying in with his official birthday on 23rd-24th September. Although we now view conception and birth as two separate events, the Romans viewed conception through to birth as a continuous process, which perhaps explains this anomaly. Under the tropical Zodiac, the sun transits Capricorn from late December to late January, marking midwinter and the shortest day of the year. For this reason, it was often considered a hostile sign and indeed it was in January 43 BC that the Senate had granted Octavian Imperium, which many would have seen as a bad omen. However, Octavian clearly chose to interpret his Zodiac sign positively as the Capricorn remains a prominent feature on the coinage even after he has been honoured with the title Augustus, an event which fittingly occurred on 16 January 27 BC.