Augustus, born Gaius Octavius (Octavian) in 63 BC, was the first Roman emperor, reigning from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. Adopted by Julius Caesar and named heir in his will, Octavian defeated the assassins of his uncle and adopted father as a member of the Second Triumvirate. After years of further political tensions and conflicts, Octavian emerged victorious as the sole ruler of Rome, after the battle of Actium in 31BC, and in 27BC, was granted by the Senate the title of Augustus, meaning majestic, great, or venerable. His rule ushered in an era of imperial peace, the Pax Romana, after years of civil wars and political infighting. Under Augustus, the borders of the Roman Empire expanded extensively, conquering Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Noricum, Raetia, and Hispania, and creating a buffer of client states beyond the edges of the empire. He restored, renovated, and built countless public buildings, roads, and works, and nurtured Roman art and literature.
Agrippa (63-12 BC) was Augustus’ deputy, close friend, lieutenant, and leading general. After serving under Julius Caesar during his campaign against Pompey in 46-45 BC, he was sent to Apollonia, in Illyria, to study with the then-Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son. After Caesar’s assassination and Octavian’s return to Rome, Agrippa helped Octavian levy troops in Campania, and it is around this time that Agrippa was appointed to the tribune of the plebs, bringing him into the Senate. He likely fought alongside Octavian and Antony in 42BC, and continued to play a major role in Octavian’s campaigns, most importantly in the Battle of Actium, where his unexpected arrival turned the tides of victory in Octavian’s favour. Octavian then married him to his niece Claudia Marcella Major in 28 BC, and later, in 21 BC, to his daughter, Julia the Elder. Their union produced five children, including Agrippina the Elder, the mother to Caligula.
The Roman city of Nemausus, modern day Nîmes, in southern Gaul, became a Roman ‘colonia’ (colony) before 28 BC. Built on the Via Domitia, which connected Rome to Hispania, the region was settled by veterans of Julius Caesar’s campaigns in the Nile. Augustus continued building up this colony, settling many of his own veterans from his campaign in Actium, and ordering the construction of ramparts, gates, temples, and aqueducts. The city issued and circulated a large number of coins with the crocodile reverse, as seen on this coin here. The crocodile, a symbol of Egypt, and perhaps of Cleopatra specifically, being bound to two symbols of Roman victory (the palm and the wreath), clearly celebrate Roman victory over Egypt.
