Well there was one way that people could get a glance of their leaders from, and that’s money! Today we use more bills than coins, but medieval and ancient currencies relied on the coin for trade.

Roman emperors, even consuls and other important figures, were commonly placed on coins from the Republic to the end of the Western Empire. Most people would have to handle money, and that was a good way to see the name and somewhat likeness of the leader or political figure.

Placing leaders on coins was a common practice among many different nations and timespans. Just like we find pennies from the current year, so would ancient peoples and they could see their current leader.