TWO SIDES TO EVERY COIN: AN ANALYSIS OF JULIO-CLAUDIAN WOMEN ON IMPERIAL ROMAN COINAGE An Undergraduate Research Scholars Thesis by NICOLE DEERE Submitted to the LAUNCH: Undergraduate Research office at Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the designation as an UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLAR Approved by Faculty Research Advisors: Dr. Christoph F. Konrad Dr. Deborah N. Carlson May 2021 Majors: Anthropology Classics Copyright © 2021. Nicole Deere. RESEARCH COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION Research activities involving the use of human subjects, vertebrate animals, and/or biohazards must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Texas A&M University regulatory research committee (i.e., IRB, IACUC, IBC) before the activity can commence. This requirement applies to activities conducted at Texas A&M and to activities conducted at non-Texas A&M facilities or institutions. In both cases, students are responsible for working with the relevant Texas A&M research compliance program to ensure and document that all Texas A&M compliance obligations are met before the study begins. I, Nicole Deere, certify that all research compliance requirements related to this Undergraduate Research Scholars thesis have been addressed with my Research Faculty Advisors prior to the collection of any data used in this final thesis submission. This project did not require approval from the Texas A&M University Research Compliance & Biosafety office. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 1 DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ 4 NOMENCLATURE ....................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES............................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 10 The Principate Period ............................................................................................................ 10 The ‘Empress’ of Rome ......................................................................................................... 11 The Julio-Claudian Dynasty .................................................................................................. 12 The Objective of Imagery on Roman Coins .......................................................................... 17 The Creators of Imperial Roman Coinage Illustrations ......................................................... 18 Influence of Numismatic Imagery on the Public ................................................................... 19 Common Attributes on Julio-Claudian Coins ........................................................................ 20 Imperial Women on Official Coinage ................................................................................... 21 CHAPTERS 1. RECURRING ELEMENTS.................................................................................................... 23 1.1 Pose ............................................................................................................................. 23 1.2 Garb ............................................................................................................................ 26 1.3 Setting ......................................................................................................................... 34 2. INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS .................................................................................................. 38 2.1 Tiberius ....................................................................................................................... 38 2.2 Claudius ...................................................................................................................... 39 2.3 Nero ............................................................................................................................ 41 3. CATEGORIES ........................................................................................................................ 43 3.1 A: Laurel Wreath and Triad ........................................................................................ 43 3.2 B: Seated, Draped, Veiled, Patera, and Scepter .......................................................... 44 3.3 C: Carpentum .............................................................................................................. 44 3.4 D: Draped Bust with Shoulder Locks ......................................................................... 45 3.5 E: Standing Triad Embodying Virtues ....................................................................... 48 3.6 F: Draped Bust with a Long Plait ............................................................................... 49 3.7 G: Standing, Embodying a Virtue with a Cornucopia and a Long Torch .................. 49 3.8 H: Long Torch ............................................................................................................ 50 3.9 I: Seated on a Throne and Draped with Corn, Scepter, Torch .................................... 50 3.10 J: Triad with a Cornucopia ......................................................................................... 51 3.11 K: Jugate Draped Bust ................................................................................................ 52 3.12 L: Draped and Veiled with a Stephane ....................................................................... 53 3.13 M: Standing with a Patera and Cornucopia ................................................................ 53 4. HISTORICAL CONTEXT ..................................................................................................... 55 4.1 Iulia Augusti f. ............................................................................................................ 55 4.2 Livia ............................................................................................................................ 57 4.3 Agrippina the Elder .................................................................................................... 59 4.4 Iulia Drusilla ............................................................................................................... 63 4.5 Iulia Livilla ................................................................................................................. 65 4.6 Antonia Minor ............................................................................................................ 65 4.7 Valeria Messalina ....................................................................................................... 67 4.8 Claudia Antonia .......................................................................................................... 68 4.9 Claudia Octavia .......................................................................................................... 69 4.10 Agrippina the Younger ............................................................................................... 69 4.11 Poppaea Sabina ........................................................................................................... 74 5. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................... 76 5.1 Relationships .............................................................................................................. 76 5.2 Denominations ............................................................................................................ 84 5.3 Sides............................................................................................................................ 86 5.4 Category Use .............................................................................................................. 88 5.5 Most Significant Women ............................................................................................ 91 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 94 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 97 APPENDIX A: JULIO-CLAUDIAN FAMILY TREES ............................................................ 100 APPENDIX B: HISTORICAL TIMELINE ............................................................................... 106 APPENDIX C: IMPERIAL ROMAN COINAGE SYSTEM .................................................... 113 APPENDIX D: ASSEMBLAGE LIST ....................................................................................... 114 4 ABSTRACT Two Sides to Every Coin: An Analysis of Julio-Claudian Women on Imperial Roman Coinage Nicole Deere Department of Anthropology Department of International Studies (Classics) Texas A&M University Research Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christoph F. Konrad Department of International Studies (Classics) Texas A&M University Research Faculty Advisor: Dr. Deborah N. Carlson Department of Anthropology Texas A&M University While Imperial Roman coinage is a highly studied topic by historians and