The corona civica, or civic crown, was a garland of oak leaves granted by the Senate to someone whom they considered had saved the lives of fellow Roman citizens in battle. By settling the civil wars in Rome, Octavian, renamed Augustus, could be construed as having done just that, even though his ensuing position as ‘princeps’ — his chosen title — challenged the very mechanisms of citizenship and government.

The civic crown also appears on the reverse of Augustan medallions. Its presence was a means of negotiating Augustus’s unprecedented position