archaicwonder:Gold Aureus of Augustus, minted at Tarraco in 17-16 BCAugustus in profile. On the reve
archaicwonder:Gold Aureus of Augustus, minted at Tarraco in 17-16 BCAugustus in profile. On the reverse is a Capricorn holding a globe attached to a rudder, with a cornucopia above its back.The Julio-Claudian portraits were distinguished by their extremely long necks. A fine example of exaggerated portraits on Roman Coins.Tarraco is the ancient name of the current city of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. During the Roman Empire, it was one of the major cities of the Iberian Peninsula and capital of the Roman province called Hispania Citerior or Hispania Tarraconensis. In the year 27 BC, Emperor Augustus went to Spain to monitor the campaigns in Cantabria. However, due to his poor health he preferred to stay in Tarraco. Apparently, Augustus had built an altar in the city, and a story by the rhetoric Quintilian mentions that the inhabitants of Tarraco complained to Augustus that a palm tree had grown on the altar. He replied that would mean it was not used very often. -- source link
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