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Artykuły
DOI article:Boruch, Wojciech: The language of propaganda of the year of the four emperors in the light of imperial coinage
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22229#0070
WOJCIECH BORUCH
name the meaning of the motto is emphasized by the fact that it was imprinted on
all metals* 20 and was a consistently used propaganda theme throughout his rule. On
the coins of this emperor the motif Libertas appears very freąuently, irrespective
of the denomination or mint, obtaining in individual issues also other meanings,
different from the original one21, i.e. as LIBERTAS PUBLICA S.C.22 (PI. 1, Fig.
4), LIBERTAS RESTITVTA S.C.23, LIBERTAS AVG S.C.24 or LIBERTAS P.R.25,
LIB. AVG. S-C R-XL26. That last motif commemorated specific tax concessions
granted by Galba to Gallic and Spanish municipia27. That motto is not to be found
Macer...”, p. 66 and RIC2, vol. 1, p. 190 indicate that Libertas may have been used as the emblem of the newly
forrned Legio I Macriana, whereas on coins (Nos. 1-6) the obverse legend is L CLODI MACRI LIBERA(TRIX)
S. C., which when combined with the fact that the two legions were named with the same designation (Nos. 1-21),
proves a distinctly anti-Nero attitude.
20 See footnotes Nos. 22-26.
21 M. A. WIRSZUBSKI, Libertas as a Political Idea at Romę during the Late Republic andEarly Principate,
Cambridge 1968, p. 159 indicates that the change occurred during Nero’s rule, as “people who livedunder oppression
in danger of their lives came graduałly to conceive Libertas as meaning, primarily, order, security, and confidence”.
See also CHILVER, “The Army in Politics...”, pp. 29-30, who is very sceptical about regarding the motto Libertas
as republican, although it had a Roman character; see also BORUCH, “Galba’s Propaganda Motifs...”, pp. 74-75;
BORUCH, „Propaganda polityczna na monetach cesarza Galby...”, pp. 105-106. The motto Libertas appeared for
the first time on coins as LIBERTAS AVGVSTA S-C on bronzes issued by Claudius (RIC2, vol. 1 (Claudius) Nos.
97 and 113) and to him it meant the relaxation of rule after Gaius’s despotic regime. Cf. BELLONI, “Significati
storico-politici...”, pp. 1047-1048. See also the very interesting remarks about the meaning of the notion of Libertas
in KRAAY, The Aes Coinage of Galba, p. 57. See also CHRIST, Geschichte der Rómischen Kaiserzeit..., p. 244,
who claims that the restoration of Libertas was the principal issue on Galba’s political agenda. See also RAMAGE,
„Denigration of Predecessor under Claudius...”, pp. 206-207 who States that such mottoes as “Libertas Populi Ro-
mani and Libertas Publica portray Galba as the restorer of freedom to the Roman people, but they also serve as
reminders that the tyrannical Nero had not allowed this freedom”. Moreover he claims that “Galba not only adopted
Claudius’ methods of using coin mottoes and virtues to denigrate his immediate predecessor, but he also extended
and refined these techniąues”. Cf. KRAAY, “The Coinage of Vindex and Galba...”, pp. 138-139, who stresses that
from the time of the Republic Libertas had completely changed its meaning - it became the Libertas of Augustus,
and that was the opposite of the concept of Libertas as understood by Cicero. See also the interesting comments in
T. POLAŃSKI, “The Imperial Propaganda and Historical Tradition According to a Selection of Coins from the Col-
lection ofAugustine Czartoryski”, Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego - Prace Archeologiczne, z. 53/54,
1992, pp. 54-56, about the reappearance of the republican phraseology during the reign of the emperor Nerva.
22 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 22-23; 56; 68-76; 136-137; 139; 158-159; 237; 275-276; 309-310; 318; 328;
346-349; 363-367; 372-373; 387-391; 423^127; 459-461; the reverse legend accompanied by the personification
of standing Libertas in military dress, with pileus in the right hand and the left hand resting on a sceptre.
23 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No. 7 - the reverse legend lllustrated with the head of Libertas, with hair pinned at
the back; Nos. 8-9 - the reverse legend accompanied by a figurę of a woman pouring with her right hand from an
enoche and holding a thyrsus in the right; Nos. 37-39 - the reverse legend accompanied by standing Libertas in
military dress, pileus in her right hand and sceptre in the left; cf. Nos. 479-480.
24 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 294-295; 436—437; 442-443 - the reverse legend accompanied by standing
Libertas, pileus in her right and sceptre in her left hand.
25 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No. 157 - the reverse legend illustrated with standing Libertas in military dress, pileus
in her right hand, the left hand outstretched, ears of grain on either of her sides.
26 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 293; 422; with two mutations: LIBERTAS AVGVST S-C, R-XL Nos. 296, 327,
441, and LIBERT AVG S-C R-XL Nos.: 438^140 - both mutations accompanied by the same representation of
standing Libertas in military dress, pileus in her right hand and sceptre in the left.
27 Tac. Hist. I, 8. The concessions are also attested by Galba’s coins from Spain and Gaul with the legend
QVADRAGENS REMISSAE SC - RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 77-81 and QVADRAGENSVMA[E] REMISS[A]
SC Nos. 82-84 (asses of Tarraco) and sestertii with the legend XXXX REMISSA SC - RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No.
134 (Lugdunum). See also C. DAMON, Tacitus. Histories Book I, Cambridge 2003, pp. 115-116; MURISON,
name the meaning of the motto is emphasized by the fact that it was imprinted on
all metals* 20 and was a consistently used propaganda theme throughout his rule. On
the coins of this emperor the motif Libertas appears very freąuently, irrespective
of the denomination or mint, obtaining in individual issues also other meanings,
different from the original one21, i.e. as LIBERTAS PUBLICA S.C.22 (PI. 1, Fig.
4), LIBERTAS RESTITVTA S.C.23, LIBERTAS AVG S.C.24 or LIBERTAS P.R.25,
LIB. AVG. S-C R-XL26. That last motif commemorated specific tax concessions
granted by Galba to Gallic and Spanish municipia27. That motto is not to be found
Macer...”, p. 66 and RIC2, vol. 1, p. 190 indicate that Libertas may have been used as the emblem of the newly
forrned Legio I Macriana, whereas on coins (Nos. 1-6) the obverse legend is L CLODI MACRI LIBERA(TRIX)
S. C., which when combined with the fact that the two legions were named with the same designation (Nos. 1-21),
proves a distinctly anti-Nero attitude.
20 See footnotes Nos. 22-26.
21 M. A. WIRSZUBSKI, Libertas as a Political Idea at Romę during the Late Republic andEarly Principate,
Cambridge 1968, p. 159 indicates that the change occurred during Nero’s rule, as “people who livedunder oppression
in danger of their lives came graduałly to conceive Libertas as meaning, primarily, order, security, and confidence”.
See also CHILVER, “The Army in Politics...”, pp. 29-30, who is very sceptical about regarding the motto Libertas
as republican, although it had a Roman character; see also BORUCH, “Galba’s Propaganda Motifs...”, pp. 74-75;
BORUCH, „Propaganda polityczna na monetach cesarza Galby...”, pp. 105-106. The motto Libertas appeared for
the first time on coins as LIBERTAS AVGVSTA S-C on bronzes issued by Claudius (RIC2, vol. 1 (Claudius) Nos.
97 and 113) and to him it meant the relaxation of rule after Gaius’s despotic regime. Cf. BELLONI, “Significati
storico-politici...”, pp. 1047-1048. See also the very interesting remarks about the meaning of the notion of Libertas
in KRAAY, The Aes Coinage of Galba, p. 57. See also CHRIST, Geschichte der Rómischen Kaiserzeit..., p. 244,
who claims that the restoration of Libertas was the principal issue on Galba’s political agenda. See also RAMAGE,
„Denigration of Predecessor under Claudius...”, pp. 206-207 who States that such mottoes as “Libertas Populi Ro-
mani and Libertas Publica portray Galba as the restorer of freedom to the Roman people, but they also serve as
reminders that the tyrannical Nero had not allowed this freedom”. Moreover he claims that “Galba not only adopted
Claudius’ methods of using coin mottoes and virtues to denigrate his immediate predecessor, but he also extended
and refined these techniąues”. Cf. KRAAY, “The Coinage of Vindex and Galba...”, pp. 138-139, who stresses that
from the time of the Republic Libertas had completely changed its meaning - it became the Libertas of Augustus,
and that was the opposite of the concept of Libertas as understood by Cicero. See also the interesting comments in
T. POLAŃSKI, “The Imperial Propaganda and Historical Tradition According to a Selection of Coins from the Col-
lection ofAugustine Czartoryski”, Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego - Prace Archeologiczne, z. 53/54,
1992, pp. 54-56, about the reappearance of the republican phraseology during the reign of the emperor Nerva.
22 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 22-23; 56; 68-76; 136-137; 139; 158-159; 237; 275-276; 309-310; 318; 328;
346-349; 363-367; 372-373; 387-391; 423^127; 459-461; the reverse legend accompanied by the personification
of standing Libertas in military dress, with pileus in the right hand and the left hand resting on a sceptre.
23 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No. 7 - the reverse legend lllustrated with the head of Libertas, with hair pinned at
the back; Nos. 8-9 - the reverse legend accompanied by a figurę of a woman pouring with her right hand from an
enoche and holding a thyrsus in the right; Nos. 37-39 - the reverse legend accompanied by standing Libertas in
military dress, pileus in her right hand and sceptre in the left; cf. Nos. 479-480.
24 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 294-295; 436—437; 442-443 - the reverse legend accompanied by standing
Libertas, pileus in her right and sceptre in her left hand.
25 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No. 157 - the reverse legend illustrated with standing Libertas in military dress, pileus
in her right hand, the left hand outstretched, ears of grain on either of her sides.
26 RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 293; 422; with two mutations: LIBERTAS AVGVST S-C, R-XL Nos. 296, 327,
441, and LIBERT AVG S-C R-XL Nos.: 438^140 - both mutations accompanied by the same representation of
standing Libertas in military dress, pileus in her right hand and sceptre in the left.
27 Tac. Hist. I, 8. The concessions are also attested by Galba’s coins from Spain and Gaul with the legend
QVADRAGENS REMISSAE SC - RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) Nos. 77-81 and QVADRAGENSVMA[E] REMISS[A]
SC Nos. 82-84 (asses of Tarraco) and sestertii with the legend XXXX REMISSA SC - RIC2, vol. 1 (Galba) No.
134 (Lugdunum). See also C. DAMON, Tacitus. Histories Book I, Cambridge 2003, pp. 115-116; MURISON,