Parion (AD 69-79) AE 22 - Vespasian

Vespasian, 69-79 AD. AE22 (6.21g). VESPASIANVS CAESAR, laureate head right / Capricorn right, head turned back left, cornucopia on its back, AVGVSTVS below. Very rare. Slightly uneven strike, gVF.

Augustus' sun sign was Libra. We don't know why he selected the Capricorn as his emblem. Perhaps Capricorn was either his rising sign or his Moon sign. Popular astrology (of the newspaper kind) is sun sign astrology. The ancients tended to attach more importance to the Moon sign and rising signs. Perhaps Augustus selected the Capricorn because it is associated with stern moral authority.