DUPONDIUS OR ACE OF NIMES
(beginning of the 1st century A.D.)
Obverse: Leaning heads of Agrippa and Augustus IMP(erator) DIVI F(ilius) P(ater) P(atriae).
Reverse: Crocodile attached to a palm tree COL(onia) NEM(ausus)
- hand embossed
- Gold colored
- Diameter 2.8 cm
- May show slight signs of wear
During the time of Augustus 27 -26 BC, this coin was minted and issued in Nimes. The obverse shows the busts of Augustus, the son of the Divine (DIVI F),Caesar, depicted with a laurel wreath, and his son-in-law and friend Agrippa , the latter with the rostral crown. Both a tribute to the victors of naval battles. A crocodile chained to a palm tree symbolizes the submission of Egypt to the great power of Rome, on the reverse. The palm tree represents an attribute of Apollo, the patron god of Octavian. Both faces are supposed to recall the naval victory of Actium , won by Octavian Augustus and Agrippa in 31 BC against Marc Antony and Cleopatra.
This Dupondius was equal to 2-4 aces , which is why this coin is often found in split or even quartered form.
