IMPERIAL WOMEN · PORTRAITS · POWER & MEMORY
While Roman coinage is renowned for showcasing the profiles of mighty Emperors, the portraits of their wives, mothers and daughters offer an equally captivating look into imperial politics. In a society where women held no formal legislative office, the coins minted in their names became vital instruments of state propaganda and dynastic stability. These pieces are not merely currency; they offer a direct window into the profound influence wielded by the Augustae within the Roman Empire.
Unlike their husbands, who used coinage to celebrate military conquests and political triumphs, Roman Empresses were depicted to signal security and moral continuity. Their coins frequently featured reverse types dedicated to personifications like Concordia (harmony), Pietas (piety) and Fecunditas (fertility). By promoting these traditional values, the imperial court reassured citizens of the state’s internal peace and the moral purity of the ruling family.
In the volatile world of Rome, securing succession was paramount. Coins featuring the Empress were strategically issued to familiarise the public and the Legions with the imperial bloodline. Showing an Augusta alongside her children, or bearing titles that emphasised her motherhood, served a crucial political purpose: reinforcing the legitimacy of the next heir to the throne. From Faustina the Younger to Julia Domna, these coins secured the survival of Empires.
To understand the role of these powerful women, one must look closely at the numismatic details that set their coinage apart from that of the Emperors. For collectors and historians alike, the portraits of the Augustae provide a fascinating study in shifting artistic styles and political messaging.
One of the most reliable ways to identify and date these coins is through the elaborate hairstyles of the Empresses. Imperial fashion was set by the court in Rome and copied across the Empire. The tightly braided waves of Livia, the complex, piled curls of the Flavian women, and the heavy, helmet-like wigs of the Severan Dynasty were all engraved with meticulous detail. These portraits served as the fashion magazines of the ancient world, allowing citizens in distant provinces to see the current style of the capital.
The inscriptions on these coins offer vital clues about an Empress's status and power. While living imperial women were often granted the title Augusta, their influence frequently extended beyond their earthly lives. Upon their death, many prominent Empresses were officially deified by the Senate. Coins struck in honour of a consecrated Augusta feature the inscription Diva, depicting the deceased Empress ascending to heaven or represented by an peacock, the sacred symbol of the goddess Juno.
The depiction of women on Roman currency evolved significantly over the centuries, reflecting the shifting balance of power within the imperial court. By tracing this numismatic timeline, collectors can see how the public role of the Augustae grew from quiet influence to overt political dominance.
During the Julio-Claudian and Flavian dynasties, the presentation of imperial women was modest and bound by tradition. Emperors like Augustus were careful not to appear as absolute monarchs, meaning their female relatives were rarely granting full political prominence on Roman coins. Instead, figures like Livia or Antonia Minor were subtly idealised, often appearing under the guise of goddesses to emphasise the family's piety without upsetting Republican sensibilities.
By the second century, during the Antonine period, the status of the Empress had solidified. Women like Faustina the Elder and Faustina the Younger were celebrated extensively on vast quantities of coinage. This era marked a massive increase in the production of female-centric issues. The court used these coins to project an image of global harmony and domestic stability, making the Empress's image central to the Empire’s identity.
During the Severan Dynasty and the Crisis of the Third Century, imperial women achieved unprecedented authority. Empresses like Julia Domna, Julia Maesa and Otacilia Severa were powerful political players who actively managed state affairs. Their coins reflect this reality, presenting them with majestic, commanding portraits. They were regularly honoured with grand titles such as Mater Castrorum (Mother of the Camps), showing their direct and vital connection to the Roman Legions.
By the fourth century, during the Constantinian and Valentinian dynasties, the role of the Empress underwent a profound transformation.
Christian Empresses like Helena, Fausta, and Flaccilla were no longer depicted as pagan goddesses, but as pillars of piety and divine security. Their coinage focused heavily on themes of public welfare, Christian devotion, and dynastic legitimacy.
The portraits evolved from the soft realism of earlier centuries into highly stylized, majestic representations adorned with elaborate diadems, signaling their exalted status as core figures in a heavily centralized Christian monarchy.
From the first imperial dynasty to the late third century, these six women reveal changing expressions of identity, memory and power. The periods below provide historical context, rather than exact dates for the illustrated coins.
First century AD
Wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius: a link between the first generations of imperial rule.
Second century AD
Her dignified portraits and Concordia reverses presented the public ideal of imperial harmony.
Second century AD
Posthumous coinage preserved her portrait and memory as the deified Diva Faustina.
The Severan dynasty
A prominent imperial mother whose portraits, titles and divine imagery expressed her continuing public presence.
The Severan dynasty
Marriage coinage promised eternal harmony, although her position within the dynasty proved short-lived.
Late third century AD
Her coinage emphasised partnership and concord within the imperial household of Aurelian.
Throughout imperial history, several exceptional women left an indelible mark on the Roman monetary system. Their coins remain highly sought after by collectors for their historical importance and exceptional artistry.
Wife of Augustus · Mother of Tiberius
Provincial bronze of Thessalonica: Tiberius on the obverse, Livia on the reverse. NumisAntica photographs.
As the wife of Augustus, Livia established the blueprint for all future Roman Empresses. Although her portrait rarely appeared on official Roman silver during her lifetime, she was frequently depicted as a personification of justice or piety on provincial issues and bronze coinage. Her marriage to Augustus and her position as the mother of Tiberius linked successive generations of the ruling family. Her public portraits were often idealised rather than records of her appearance at a particular age. Her coins project the image of the ideal Roman matriarch, essential to the stability of the new Principate.
This provincial bronze places Tiberius on one side and Livia on the other. The pairing makes their family relationship visible in a small, widely circulating object. Its Greek inscriptions also remind us that Roman imperial imagery reached communities with their own languages and civic traditions.
The Greek obverse inscription identifies Tiberius Caesar Augustus. RPC records the reverse inscription as ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ, referring to the Augustan city of the Thessalonians.
Further reading: The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Livia · Roman Provincial Coinage — Tiberius and Livia, RPC I 1568
Wife of Hadrian · Augusta by 128 AD
Silver denarius of Sabina with Concordia on the reverse. NumisAntica photographs.
Sabina married Hadrian before his ascension to the throne and became one of the most travelled Empresses in Roman history, even accompanying her husband on his famous tour of Egypt. Her coin portraits are highly valued by numismatists because her carefully arranged hairstyles changed significantly over time, providing collectors with a reliable method to date different issues and track changes in official imperial imagery.
The reverse of Sabina's coinage frequently depicts the goddess Concordia holding a patera (an offering dish) and a cornucopia (the horn of plenty). These themes of harmony and abundance were designed to complement the dignified portrait of the Empress. However, this imagery reflects the political order and stability that the imperial court wished to project to the public; it should not be taken as proof of happiness within what ancient historians describe as a deeply strained and loveless private marriage.
SABINA AVGVSTA identifies Sabina with the honorific title Augusta. CONCORDIA AVG associates concord or harmony with the imperial house. The letter V also serves as U in these Latin inscriptions.
Further reading: Sabina Augusta: An Imperial Journey - ResearchGate · Forgotten Women of History - Rachel Elwiss Joyce · Oxford Classical Dictionary — Sabina Augusta · Society for Classical Studies — Portraits of Sabina
Wife of Antoninus Pius · Commemorated as Diva Faustina
Posthumous sestertius of Faustina the Elder, with a left-facing portrait and Pietas at an altar. NumisAntica photographs.
Wife of Antoninus Pius, Faustina the Elder became one of the most prominent faces on Roman currency due to an unprecedented numismatic phenomenon. Following her tragic and early death in 141 AD, the devastated Emperor officially deified her, launching a massive, decades long minting campaign in her honour. Her coins, bearing the inscription Diva Faustina, show a beautifully serene portrait with her hair elaborately braided and piled high. The reverse designs often feature temples, altars, or the goddess Aeternitas (eternity), serving as permanent monuments to her memory and making her coinage some of the most iconic and recognisable in the ancient world.
On this sestertius, Pietas makes an offering at an altar. For Roman viewers, piety involved obligations to gods, family and community. The broad bronze coin offers space for both an elaborate portrait and a ritual scene.
DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA identifies the deified Faustina Augusta. PIETAS AVG presents piety in an imperial context. Here DIVA is a crucial clue: this is a commemorative issue, not a portrait struck simply because Faustina was still alive.
Further reading: Uffizi Galleries — Faustina the Elder · British Museum — Faustina and Pietas, RIC III 1146A
Wife of Septimius Severus · Mother of Caracalla and Geta
Silver denarius of Julia Domna with Diana holding a long torch on the reverse. NumisAntica photographs.
The Syrian born wife of Septimius Severus, Julia Domna was arguably the most politically powerful woman of the Principate. As the wife of Septimius Severus and later the mother of the reigning Caracalla, she remained a prominent public figure across two reigns. Her coins are majestic and abundant, reflecting her immense influence over the state and the military. She was granted unprecedented titles on currency, and her distinctive, wavy wig hairstyle makes her coinage instantly recognisable to any numismatist.
The reverse depicts Diana carrying a long torch. The inscription names her as the light-bringing goddess. It is Diana, rather than a second portrait of Julia Domna, that appears here: a useful reminder to distinguish a historical woman from a deity on the other side of her coin.
IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG presents Julia with the epithets pious and fortunate, and the title Augusta. DIANA LVCIFERA means Diana the light-bringer. The name, titles and divine imagery form a carefully composed public message.
Further reading: McClung Museum — Femina Princeps
Wife of Caracalla · Married in 202 AD
Silver denarius of Plautilla showing the imperial couple clasping hands. NumisAntica photographs.
Plautilla’s presence on Roman currency represents a brief but intense moment in imperial history. Married to the future Emperor Caracalla in 202 AD in a politically forced union arranged by her powerful father, Plautianus, her image was immediately disseminated across the Empire's mints. Her coin portraits are particularly interesting to numismatists because they capture her transformation from a young, soft featured girl into a mature woman, marked by distinct shifts in her braided hairstyle. Following her husband’s rise to sole power, Plautilla was exiled and later executed, after which the Senate ordered her memory to be erased. Because her coins were struck over a period of just a few years, they remain highly prized by collectors for their historical rarity and dramatic backstory.
The reverse shows the couple joining hands, a visual expression of union. It is especially striking when set beside the later breakdown of Plautilla’s position. A coin can preserve a political promise that events subsequently overturned.
PLAVTILLAE AVGVSTAE names Plautilla Augusta in the dative case. CONCORDIAE AETERNAE means “to eternal harmony”. The inscription records an official ideal rather than a reliable description of the couple’s private relationship.
Further reading: Ostia Antica — Plautilla, with references to Herodian and Cassius Dio
Wife of Aurelian · Late third century AD
Antoninianus of Severina with an imperial hand-clasp scene on the reverse. NumisAntica photographs.
Ulpia Severina, wife of the soldier Emperor Aurelianus, holds a uniquely powerful position in numismatic history. Following her husband’s sudden assassination in 275 AD, numismatic evidence suggests that Severina ruled the Roman Empire independently during an unprecedented interregnum while the Senate deliberated on a successor. During this brief period, the Empire’s mints continued to strike vast quantities of high quality bronze and billon coins in her name. Her portraits present a stern, commanding matron wearing the imperial stephane (diadem) over an intricately braided coiffure. Featuring reverse types like Concordia Militum (harmony with the military), her coinage demonstrates how an Augusta could directly command the loyalty of the Roman Legions and successfully manage the state’s finances in times of political crisis.
This reverse presents an imperial couple joining hands. The scene connects the Empress with concord within the ruling house. Beneath her portrait is a crescent, a feature used on many antoniniani of imperial women; it belongs to the denomination’s visual language.
SEVERINA AVG identifies Severina Augusta. CONCORDIA AVGG invokes harmony of the Augusti: the doubled G marks a plural abbreviation. The precise political interpretation needs the issue’s wider context; the inscription alone does not prove that Severina ruled independently.
A coin’s “legend” is its inscription. Abbreviations save space, and Latin often uses V where modern English uses U. The titles and virtues inscribed on an Augusta’s coinage were carefully chosen to signal her role in the Empire, ranging from her maternal connection to the army to her divine alignment with the gods. The following terms are reading aids for collectors; not every coin carries each one.
| Inscription | Meaning | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| AVG / AVGVSTA | Augusta | An honourific imperial title; it does not by itself establish a woman’s constitutional powers. |
| AVGG | Of the Augusti | A plural abbreviation indicating multiple rulers. For example, AVGG denotes two reigning emperors, highlighting the empress’s association with the joint imperial rule. |
| CONCORDIA | Harmony or concord | A personification of political or marital agreement, frequently depicted alongside a hand clasp or related imagery. |
| DIVA | Deified woman | A posthumous honour indicating consecration. This status must be distinguished from lifetime portrait issues. |
| FECVNDITAS | Fruitfulness or fertility | A celebration of motherhood and imperial children, emphasizing dynastic continuity and the future of the empire. |
| IVNO REGINA | Juno the Queen | The divine counterpart to the empress. Just as the emperor associated himself with Jupiter, the Augusta claimed the authority of the queen of the gods. |
| LVCIFERA | Light bringer | A divine epithet connected to illumination and guidance, as seen with Diana and her torch. |
| MATER AVGG / MATER SENATVS | Mother of the Augusti / Mother of the Senate | A powerful political title used by influential dynastic mothers to show that their authority encompassed both the imperial heirs and the Roman Senate. |
| MATER CASTRORVM | Mother of the Camps | An exceptional military honour that signifies an active symbolic and political bond between the Augusta and the Legions. |
| PIETAS | Piety and duty | A representation of religious devotion, ritual offerings, and moral obligations to the gods, family, and community. |
| PVDICITIA | Chaste modesty or virtuousness | A core feminine virtue on Roman coinage, often depicting the empress drawing her veil, demonstrating her moral fitness and loyalty. |
| SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE | Security of the State | A title common on the coinage of later imperial women, shifting the propaganda focus from fertility toward the stable preservation of the Roman realm. |
A harmonious reverse design does not prove a harmonious marriage, nor does a youthful portrait establish a woman's true age. Coins reflect the official image that the imperial house chose to project rather than personal reality. To reconstruct an empress's life, numismatic evidence must be combined with archaeology and written history.
Additionally, because ancient writers often viewed powerful women with prejudice, sensational stories require careful scrutiny. Modern research must separate verified historical facts from subsequent rumours and biased interpretations.
Consider comparing the women of a single ruling Dynasty, or following the journey of one Empress through her various portrait styles. Provincial coins provide another fascinating angle, sometimes placing the Emperor and an imperial woman on opposite faces of the coin.
Focus on central imperial themes like harmony, piety, or divine consecration. By comparing the inscription with the visual design, mint, and denomination, you can better understand the coin’s message. Although grade is important, a clearly legible legend or reverse design is particularly rewarding for a narrative driven collection.
McClung Museum – Femina Princeps
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Livia
Roman Provincial Coinage – Tiberius and Livia, RPC I 1568
Society for Classical Studies – Portraits of Sabina
Oxford Classical Dictionary – Sabina Augusta
Uffizi Galleries – Faustina the Elder
British Museum – Faustina and Pietas, RIC III 1146A
Ostia Antica – Plautilla, with references to Herodian and Cassius Dio
British Museum – Faustina the Younger and Fecunditas
Coin descriptions and photographs: NumisAntica. The glossary and coin interpretations combine the photographed designs with the resources above.
