Up to the Birds
Not content to rest his divine legitimacy on one deity alone, Sextus Pompeius incorporated another major element of Roman religious iconography on his coinage. RRC 511/3a features the bust of Pompey the Great and surrounds his likeness with a jug and lituus, a curved staff; two symbols which were representative of the College of Augurs. Augurs were priests and officials tasked with interpreting the will of the gods through the movement of birds. Augurs, therefore, held the responsibility for the auspicia, the communication between the gods and men. For all matters of public and private life within Rome, the augurs were consulted. The members of this priesthood held substantial religious powers within Rome due to their sphere of influence within public matters, such as war and commerce. It should come as little surprise, however, that this position garnered significant political power as well. During the Late Roman Republic, there was an increase in the use of augural iconography on coinage. Likely, this has less to do with a sudden uptick in pietas amongst the Roman elite, but rather it conveyed the personal authority granted to an individual through the College of Augurs. Although augurs did not possess imperium, the formal authority held by magistrates, they were in possession of auctoritas, a high level of prestige within Roman society and politics. [2]
Sextus Pompeius’ use of the jug and lituus on RRC 511/3a in reference to the College of Augurs has multiple implications. Although there are some inconsistencies within the scholarship, Pompey the Great was likely appointed to the College of Augurs after Sulla expanded the pontificate and augural college memberships after 81 BC through the lex Cornelia. A conservative estimate establishes Pompey the Great as a member of the College of Augurs in around 74 to 70 BC. Despite the lack of a concrete date for Pompey the Great’s priesthood appointment, the power and social influence that he would have gained cannot be disputed. It would have been in Sextus Pompeius’ best interest to highlight this valuable religious station, and the political ramifications of that. [2]
The dating of this RRC 511/3a brings into question the validity of the second potential interpretation of the jug and lituus symbols. The Treaty of Misenum in 39 BC was a peace settlement set between Sextus Pompeius, Octavian, and Mark Antony. After several years of Sextus’ fleet launching attacks against the Italian coast and creating a blockade which effectively cut the supply of grain to Rome, Octavian gave into public demand to deescalate the tensions with Sextus. In return for ending his raids of the coastal villages and removing his blockade of supply ships, Sextus was, amongst other things, given official governance over Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, as well as receiving a consulship, and an appointment to the College of Augurs. [3] This would not last, as by 38 BC the peace treaty had dissolved between the three and they were once again in active conflict. The following year in 37 BC at the Treaty of Tarentum, Octavian and Antony jointly decided to revoke Sextus’ consulship, and remove him from his priesthood. However, unlike other positions of power and social influence in Rome, augurs could not lose their position once they had been appointed to the college.
Why is that, if any one of the other priests is condemned and exiled, they depose him and elect another, but the augur, as long as he lives, even if they find him guilty of the worst offences, they do not deprive of his priesthood?
Plut. Quaest. Rom. 99
Had Octavian and Antony officially appointed Sextus as an augur, in the eyes of the religious system in Rome, this was a position that could not be revoked. Certainly for Sextus this would have only strengthened his position of legitimacy within Rome. His consulship and imperium could be taken away, but his priesthood and auctoritas could not be, regardless of the feelings of Octavian and Antony. However, it is unlikely that the jug and lituus on RRC 511/3a is a reference to Sextus’ own appointment to augur, as the dating for this coin places it around 42 to 40 BC. At this time, the Treaty of Misenum had not yet occurred. Therefore, while Sextus certainly embraced the titles of augur and consul publicly, and continued to do so even after the titles had been revoked by his rivals (ILS 8891=ILLRP426), the jug and lituus on the obverse of RRC 511/3a highlights Pompey the Great’s position as augur, not Sextus’. Once again, Sextus was capitalising on the political and religious clout garnered by this priesthood to help establish his own political position within the Later Roman Republic. [4]