Emperor Tiberius

Rome’s first emperor, Augustus (r. 30 BCE–14 CE), wanted his descendants to rule over the Roman Empire, but as his chosen successors died one by one, the power fell to his stepson, Tiberius (r. 14–37 CE), who had been a capable general but was reportedly often at odds with his family. The broad forehead seen here, topped with a neat row of comma-shaped locks (see also coin 8), continues a trend in early imperial dynastic portraiture, modeled on that of Augustus (coin 6), to create an artificial family resemblance in an attempt to solidify dynastic succession. This portrait can be dated to early in the third decade CE, when Tiberius was in his early sixties. Although the depiction continues the idealized youthfulness of Augustus’s portraits, Tiberius’s age is betrayed by deep furrows along his cheeks and his hollow mouth and eyes.