Laurea Corona

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Laurea Corona, among the Romans the laurel crown was rightly conferred to those who aquired pro-consular rank; nor ws it granted even to the Caesars unless they had been titled emperor.

Respecting the laurel crown of Julius Caesar, Suetonius (in his "Life of him, c, 45) says: "He manifested much impatience under the blemish of baldness, which often exposed him to the jest of malicious detractors. It was on this account that he was desirous to remedy the deficiency of hair on his head; and of all the honours decreed to him by the Senate and people, there was none which he more readily received or more freely availed himself of, than the jus laurea perpetuo gestandae," the privilege of perpetually wearing the laurel. This statement is confirmed by Dion Cassius (L. xliii) who observes, speaking of Julius, "Always and everywhere he wore the laurel crown, with which he covered his head, because he was bald."

The laurel crown, as the principal ornament of Augusti, is seen for the most part on Roman coins, tied with a kind of ribband, which they employed in place of a diadem, although that specially royal emblem was itself not placed on the head of the emperor.

Augustus, after the example of Julius by whom he was adopted, frequently allowed the laurea corona to be assigned him. Referring to this point Dion (L. xlix) says: "By unanimous consent, at Rome, among other honours, this also was decreed to him ut semper lauro coronaretur." Hence, on many of his coins we see the laurel encircling his head. And the same author affirms (L. liii) that, in addition to numerous honours already conferred on Augustus, it was ordained by the Senate and people that laurel trees should be planted in front of his palace, and oaken crowns suspended on them, as though he were the perpetual conqueror of the enemies, and savior of the citizens of the republic."

In memory of this Senatorial decree, a gold coin was struck, having on the obverse the naked head of Augustus, with the legend of CAESAR COS VII CIVIBVS SERVATEIS, and on the reverse AVGVSTVS S C with the type of an eagle, whose wings are expanded, and who stands on an oaken crown, behins which are two branches of laurel. A denarius of the Caninia family bears a type which alludes to the same event.

The S C observes Eckhel, in this coin, "shews both Caesar called Augustus, Senatus Consulto, and by the same law decreed the oaken wreath and laurels. Illustrating the voice of Pliny, that Augustus having put an end to the civil wars of Rome, accepted a civic crown from the human race." vol vi p. 58.
Dion further mentions that after the death of Drusus, Augustus carried the laurel into the temple of Jupiter Feretrius, praeter consuetudinem Romanam, and that ascending to the capital, he took off the laurel from the faces and placed it on the lap of Jupiter. (L. liv).

The head of Tiberius likewise occurs on coins, adorned with a crown form of laurel, which sign of the highest rank is known to have devolved to him from JuliusCaesar himself, although it is also known that he wore it as a preservative against danger from lightning, conformably to "a vulgar error" of the ancients, which even Pliny admits, and which encouraged the belief that the electric fluid never struck the laurel. His predecessor and relative Augustus is said to have the same dread of thunder, and to have worn the laurel for the same reason.

The numismatic portraits of succeeding emperors are crowned with laurel, generally tied around the head with a fascia or fillet, of which the ends hang down behind.

The laureated ornament of the imperial head does not appear beyond the reign of Constantine the Great. It is indeed found as far down as on coins of his son, accompanied with the title of Caesar; but afterwards the Augusti assumed the diadem, the use of which Constantine had already introduced, as may be seen on the chief portion of their coins. See diadem.

Upon a medal of Probus we see the laurel between two Victories. The laurel appears in the hands of Pietas, of Securitas, of Clementia, on medals of Tiberius, of Helena, wife of Constantius Chlorus, etc. Two laurels before the palace of the emperor Augustus are given amongst others by Oiselius, pl 92.

The laurel is also to be reamrked on coins of the Axia, Caninia, Claudia, Cornelia, and Junia families; and the emperors Augustus, Nero, Vespasian, Domitian, Nerva, etc. The same type also exhibits itself on coins of Trajan, Caracalla, Trebonianus Gallus, Volusianus, Aemilianus, Valerian I, Gallienus, and Quintillus. The branch of laurel is sometimes in the hand of another figure, but often in the hands of the emperor.

The laurel crown is observable on coins of colonies, families, and emperors, from Julius Caesar to Honorius, sometimes by itself, sometimes containing an inscription within it; at others with the addition of emblems; or placed on the head of a figure.

The laurel in the hand of Victory, or of Jove, of Minerva, and other figures appears on the coins of the Cordia, Julia, and Sallustia families; and in the imperial series on those of Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Antoninus Pius, Caracalla, etc.

The laurel in the beak of an eagle appears on coins of the emperors Geta, Macrinus, Gallienus, Probus, Licinius I, and Julian II.

The laurel branch in the hand of Apollo is a frequent type on coins of Trajan, Caracalla, Trebonianus, Gallus, Volusianus, Aemilianus, Valerian, Gallienus, Quintillus.

View whole page from the Dictionary Of Roman Coins