| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61373 | Auction date: 5 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 22047 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients Divus Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). AE dupondius (29mm, 15.56 gm, 6h). NGC Choice Fine 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, AD 37-41. DIVVS•AVGVSTVS, radiate head of Divus Augustus left; S-C across fields / CONSENSV•SENATET•EQ•ORDIN•P•Q•R•, Augustus or Caligula seated left on curule chair, palm branch in outstretched right hand. RIC I (Gaius) 56. Molasses patina with coral speckling on the bust. Caligula, also known as Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, was related to Augustus through his maternal lineage. His maternal grandmother was Augustus's sister, Octavia Minor, making Caligula the great-grandson of Augustus. This familial connection provided Caligula with a direct link to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The priesthoods, rites, and veneration on coinage of the imperial cult of Divus Augustus were all used by the successors of the first emperor as ways of reinforcing the continuity of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The Temple of Divus Augustus in Rome--a shrine to the deified emperor--was completed at the start of Caligula's coronation in 37 AD, over twenty years after construction had begun under Tiberius. The commemorative ceremony took place in the auspicious month of August, which had been named after the eponymous late emperor as the anniversary of his passing. The celebrations lasted all August, including musical performances and massive gladiatorial games, culminating in the new emperor's birthday at the end of the month. Caligula's patronage of this cult ultimately reinforced his own legitimacy and divinity in the eyes of the Senate and the Roman populace at-large. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-divus-augustus-27-bc-ad-14-ae-dupondius-29mm-1556-gm-6h-ngc-choice-fine-5-5-3-5/a/61373-22047.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61373-05052024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
