Early denarii typically display a helmeted head of Roma, the personification and divine patron of Rome, depicted as a war-like figure, wearing a helmet and armour, or holding a shield, spear, sword, or sceptre.
The denarius, introduced in 211 B.C., was the principal silver coin of Rome for five hundred years. The profile head of the goddess Roma was the most popular image depicted on silver denarii in the second and first centuries BC. She embodied Roman ideals of advancement, expansion, and virtue from c. 270 BC. During Emperor Augustus' reign, he made the worship of Roma official.
Roman political, moral, and religious notions were portrayed through Roma in different forms: coins, sculptures, and architectural designs, even in official games and festivals, but seldom in a commonplace or domestic context, as Roma was a construction of Roman state patronage.
Though her depictions were influenced by other goddesses at the time, such as Rome’s Minerva, her Greek equivalent Athena, and the various manifestations of Greek Tyches, Roma stands out as a symbol of “natural” dominance, promising protection to those who obeyed or cooperated with her, and embodying “manly virtue” as a fierce mother of a warrior race. The denarius formed the backbone of Roman currency throughout the Roman Republic and the early Empire.