Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61407 | Auction date: 6 October 2024 |
Lot number: 23054 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
Lot description: Ancients Julius Caesar, as Dictator (49-44 BC). AR denarius (17mm, 3.87 gm, 5h). NGC XF 4/5 - 4/5. Military mint traveling with Caesar in North Africa, ca. 48-46 BC. Head of Venus right, wearing stephane and necklace, with hair rolled and pulled into chignon at back of head, some loose curls behind / CAESAR, Aeneas advancing left, head facing, palladium left in outstretched right hand, carrying Anchises on his left shoulder. Crawford 458/1. Sydenham 1013. Julia 10. In the myth of the founding of Rome, Aeneas was the child of Venus and Anchises. With the fall of Troy, Aeneas, a Trojan warrior, was ordered by the gods to flee with a group of people including his father and son, Iulus. After Aeneas' own "Odyssey" through the Mediterranean, he landed in Italia, and his legacy would become the founding of Rome and his descendants would be Romulus and Remus. With this coins imagery, Julius Caesar refers to the mythical founding of Rome and was used to link Julius Caesar's lineage to Iulus, then Aeneas, and finally to Venus. Caesar also used the obverse of this coin to lay claim to the goddess Venus over his opponent of the time, Pompey the Great. The reverse refers to the moment Aeneas fled Troy, carrying his father to safety with him. This story was later immortalized in Virgil's Aeneid, under the auspices of Augustus, who used this story to link himself by extension of his adoption by Julius Caesar to the founding of Rome. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-republic/ancients-julius-caesar-as-dictator-49-44-bc-ar-denarius-17mm-387-gm-5h-ngc-xf-4-5-4-5/a/61407-23054.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61407-10062024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |
Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61407 | Auction date: 6 October 2024 |
Lot number: 23052 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
Lot description: Ancients Julius Caesar, as Dictator (49-44 BC). AR denarius (17mm, 3.92 gm, 1h). NGC XF 5/5 - 5/5. Military mint traveling with Caesar in northern Italy, ca. 49-48 BC. CAESAR, elephant advancing right, trampling horned serpent / Culullus, aspergillum, securis (axe surmounted by dog or wolf's head), and apex. Crawford 443/1. Sydenham 1006. A charming and centered piece. One of the most popular types Caesar minted were of an elephant stepping on a serpent, with CAESAR in the exergue. Although there is no clear record of what these coins allude to, this design is believed to commemorate Caesar's victory in the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC, where he defeated the forces of his political rival, Pompey, so efficiently that it was like an elephant stepping on a snake and could be seen as good defeating evil. On the reverse, he included important pontifical religious implements, a reminder to the Roman people that he was a pious man, and that he held numerous religious positions, such as Pontifex Maximus (Highest Priest). This series of coinage effectively communicated Caesar's dual image as a capable military leader and a custodian of Roman tradition, helping to consolidate his support base and establish his legitimacy during the tumultuous events of the civil war. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-republic/ancients-julius-caesar-as-dictator-49-44-bc-ar-denarius-17mm-392-gm-1h-ngc-xf-5-5-5-5/a/61407-23052.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61407-10062024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |