Crawford 458/1 CAESAR (C. Iulius Caeasar), Denar

CAESAR (C. Iulius Caeasar), Denarius

47/46 BC, Military mint in Africa

Avers: Diademed head of Venus

Revers: Aeneas carried his father Anchises and the Palladium from Troja. CAESAR

3,9 Gramm

Sear 1402, Crawford 458/1

Die estimation by Crawford: Obvers 390, Revers 433

Julius Caesar documented on the revers his direct ancestry from the Trojan hero Aeneas. Aeneas was the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the goodess Aphrodite, Venus in Roman sources, whose diademed head is shown on the obverse. The reverse of the coin shows the scene where Aeneas saved both his father Anchises, carrying him on his shoulder, and the most important cult object of Troja, the Palladium, held in his hand, saved from the burning Troja. After an adventurous journey Aeneas landed with the surviving Trojans on the coast of Latium, where he married Lavinia, daughter of Latinus, King of Latins. His descendants were Romolus and Remus. In Ancient Rome the Palladium was adored in the temple of Vesta. Ascanius, the son of Aeneas and his first wife Creusa was regarded as a dircect ancestor of the Julians.

This emission was minted shortly after Caesar's victory over Pompey in Pharsalus. In this battle, as later in spanish Munda, "Venus Victrix" was the war cry of the Caesarians, and Caesar vowed to dedicate a temple to Venus in Rome in gratitude for the victory.

Collezione : Roman Republic + Imperatorial