From Augustus' coins comes the cue for a reflection on the typically Roman custom of interrogating astrologers with often obsessive frequency. In the Rome of the Caesars, the idea that the destiny of every man was written in the stars was deeply rooted and the temptation to plan one's conduct on the basis of the response of the stars united the most humble of plebeians with the noblest of patricians. Not unlike their subjects, even emperors sought answers in the sky, not only by choosing trusted astrologers, but by studying with passion the texts of the great theorists of the subject, all rigorously Greek.
The history of the relationship between the men who decided Rome's fate and the stars is an inexhaustible source of surprises. Julius Caesar had even dedicated one of his finest treatises, De Astris, to astrology; Tiberius had attended the most prestigious school of astrology of his time, the one founded in Rhodes by Posidonius; Nero appointed his trusted astrologer, Claudius Balbillo, as prefect of Egypt; Hadrian was an astrologer himself, apparently so good that he was able to calculate with mathematical precision the date of his death.
And the first Emperor of Rome? Augustus' coins with cones of an openly zodiacal character show that the question of the influence of the stars on mortals' lives was also of primary importance to him. Fiorenzo Catalli tells us about it in one of his numismatics pills.
Augustus (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.), Denarius, Spain: Cologne Patricia (?), c. 18-16 B.C.
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In Augustus' coins the secret of his zodiac sign
by: Fiorenzo Catalli
Convinced as all Romans that the stars were the repositories of human destiny, C. Octavius - adopted by Julius Caesar under the official name of C. Iulius Caesar Octavianus and on January 16, 27 B.C. appointed Emperor with the title of Augustus - wanted to dedicate some coins to his zodiac sign.
![Augustus (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.), Denarius, Spain: Cologne Patricia (?), c. 18-16 B.C. AR (g 3,82; mm 19; h 8); Bare head to d., Rv. Capricorn to s., holds the globe tied to the rudder and carries a cornucopia on the back; below, AVGVST[VS]. RIC 128; C 25. Collection patina q.spl. Lot 598 - Auction 24, Bertolami Fine Arts - London Sold £280](https://i1.wp.com/www.bertolamifinearts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Augusto-Denario-Spagna-Bertolami-Fine-Arts-Asta-24-598.jpg?resize=1080%2C537)
Augustus (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.), Denarius, Spain: Cologne Patricia (?), c. 18-16 B.C.
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According to the testimony of Suetonius (Augustus, 94), the first emperor of Rome was born on September 23rd 63 B.C., i.e. on what the new Julian calendar indicated as the initial day of the sign of the pound.
Yet on the reverse side of Augustus' coins of zodiacal character does not appear the symbol of the scale but that of Capricorn. This is due to the fact that in the Greek-Roman astrological system even more important than the sign linked to the date of birth was considered the date of conception. In the light of this information, the accounts are correct: born at the end of September, Augustus was conceived at the end of December and, therefore, he was undoubtedly a Capricorn!
