Resumen de The “As de Nîmes”, a Roman Coin and the Myth of Antony and Cleopatra: Octavian and Agrippa victorious over Antony
Pierre-François Puech, Bernard Puech, Fernand Puech
Establishment of Augustus authority in partnership with Agrippa, when Rome was evolving from a “republic” into an empire, led to a political propaganda. The four series of the “Asde Nîmes”, bronze coins struck under Augustus and Agrippa, commemorate the capture of Egyptand the establishment of veterans in Nemausus (Nîmes, France). The iconography of this Roman coin is related to the specific history between 28 BC and 14 AD of Octavian and his general Agrippa, who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, asexpressed on the reverse, where a crocodile chained to a palm is depicted. Both palm and crocodile symbolize not only the capture of Egypt, but also the defeat of Mark Antony. The palm representsalso the “victory” in a grotesque scene in which his love for Cleopatra converted Antony into aloser. It is then concluded that these coins preserve the memory of Octavian’s victory over theiconic figure of Antony.
