Julius Caesar. 49–44 BC. Silver Denarius

Julius Caesar. 49–44 BC. Silver Denarius (18 mm, 3.86 g, 7 h). Military mint moving with Caesar in North Africa, 48–47 BC.

Obv. Diademed head of Venus right.

Rev. CAESAR, Aeneas advancing left, carrying the Palladium in his right hand and bearing Anchises on his left shoulder.

Babelon (Julia) 10; Crawford 458/1; Sydenham 1013; RBW 1600. Well struck on a broad flan with attractive surfaces. Very fine.

Issued by a travelling military mint accompanying Caesar during the North African campaign against the Pompeian forces of Metellus Scipio, this is among the most celebrated ideological types of Caesar’s coinage. The obverse features Venus Genetrix, the divine ancestress of the Julian line and the goddess who, according to Caesar’s propaganda, sanctioned his rise and protected his endeavours. Her idealized portrait lends the issue a tone of serenity and divine favour.

The reverse is one of the most evocative mythological scenes to appear on a late Republican denarius. Aeneas, son of Venus, strides left carrying the aged Anchises and holding the Palladium, the sacred image of Athena said to safeguard the fate of Troy and, later, Rome itself. The design asserts the Julian family’s descent from Aeneas, making Caesar the living embodiment of Rome’s heroic origins and divinely guided destiny.

This coin was struck at a moment of intense civil conflict, when Caesar used every element of his coinage to reinforce both loyalty among his troops and the legitimacy of his cause. A historically rich and symbolically powerful piece, standing among the finest expressions of Caesarian dynastic imagery.