(Copper/bronze/brass) Sestertius of Tiberius, 28.19g
Title
(Copper/bronze/brass) Sestertius of Tiberius, 28.19g
Creator
Tiberius
Date
14-37 CE
Description
Obverse: Augustus in quadriga with elephants. DIVO AVGVS(TO) S(ENATUS) P(OPVLVS)QVE) R(OMANVS): Divine Augustus, Senate and the people of Rome.
Reverse: SC: Senatus Consulto: by decree of the Senate. TI(BERIVS) CAESAR DIVI AVG(VSTI) F(ILIVS) AVGVST(VS) P(ONTIFEX) M(AXIMVS) TR(IBUNICIA) P(OTESTATE) XXXIIX: Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of Divine Augustus, pontifex maximus, with tribunician power for the 38th time.
Style/Period: Roman Empire
The obverse of this coin depicts a quadriga pulled by four elephants, each with a rider. While the quadriga was used in all depictions of military triumph, the elephants were an honor reserved only for emperors. The only recorded triumph of Tiberius was in 7 BCE, well before he had assumed the title of emperor, and thus his chariot would have been drawn by horses rather than elephants. This shows that this coin depicts Augustus, although there is no indication as to which of Augustus’s triumphs this is. Augustus is depicted holding a laurel branch in one hand, a symbol of victory, and in the other hand he holds a scepter, a symbol of royalty.
The reverse has the large letters SC in the center, the standard abbreviation on sestertii, with an inscription around giving the titles of Tiberius. The coin is slightly damaged, but it can be assumed that the abbreviation for Tiberius, TI, precedes the title of Caesar. The use of XXXIIX for 38 is unusual; Tiberius received the tribunician power for the 38th time in 36-37 CE.
-- Anna Vogel, LU `18
Bibliography: S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, eds., The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford 1996), s.v. Tiberius; J. M. Jones, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London 1990), s.v. quadriga, SC, tribunus; C. H. V. Sutherland and R. A. G. Carson, The Roman Imperial Coinage, vol. 1 (London 1984), 98; R. Seager, Tiberius (Berkeley 1972), xv.
The reverse has the large letters SC in the center, the standard abbreviation on sestertii, with an inscription around giving the titles of Tiberius. The coin is slightly damaged, but it can be assumed that the abbreviation for Tiberius, TI, precedes the title of Caesar. The use of XXXIIX for 38 is unusual; Tiberius received the tribunician power for the 38th time in 36-37 CE.
-- Anna Vogel, LU `18
Bibliography: S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth, eds., The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford 1996), s.v. Tiberius; J. M. Jones, A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London 1990), s.v. quadriga, SC, tribunus; C. H. V. Sutherland and R. A. G. Carson, The Roman Imperial Coinage, vol. 1 (London 1984), 98; R. Seager, Tiberius (Berkeley 1972), xv.
Source
Former collection of Ottilia Buerger. Purchased at Stack’s auction, March 12, 1971.
Identifier
91.120
Rights
Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890
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Files
Citation
Tiberius, “(Copper/bronze/brass) Sestertius of Tiberius, 28.19g,” Lawrence University Classics Department & Ottilia Buerger Coin Collections, accessed November 5, 2026, https://thor.lawrence.edu/omeka/buerger/items/show/566.