The Sestercius Of Octavian In 40 BCE

To understand in depth the above-mentioned arguments the Sestercius of Octavian issued in 40 BCE will be analyzed. For Augustus, the use of coinage as a means of persuasion and manipulation of the public opinion was not new idea. He was ultimately aware of the means that his father used in his own propaganda and followed his example. The effect of coins was used by Augustus early in his political career and more precisely right after the death of his adoptive father, Julius. Octavian didn’t lose any time and started to promote himself by linking his name with his father’s. After 44 BCE, Octavian began minting coins with the Latin phrase CAESAR DIVI F(ilius), which means the son of the deified Caesar . Following the tradition adopted by Julius himself, portraying heads were the norm but the potential of the double-headed coin gave even more emphasis to the meaning of the visual material of the coin. Augustus, through his supporters, minted double-headed coins, deciding that the obverse side of the coin will depict him -his head- along with the designation DIVI FIL, while on the reverse side the name of Julius appears as DIVUS JULIUS, meaning the deified Julius Caesar. For those able to read, it was easy to connect the dots which indicated that a coin with both Julius and Augustus names and heads on it, clearly

By releasing these coins Augustus claimed to be the son of his father, the rightful successor of the power and status of Julius. On the other hand, the majority of people weren’t educated (or didn’t know Latin) and therefore they weren’t able to comprehend the written labels of the coins. That was the reason why the visual symbol -the heads of Caesars- was meant to convey the same message. Augustus was sending a message to all that he was the son of the Divine Julius Caesar and therefore an heir to that divine man or a god himself