Watch List notes:

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

Julius Caesar. Denarius, mint moving with Caesar 48-47, AR 4.05 g. Female head r., wearing diadem and oak wreath; behind, ⊥II. Rev. CAE – SAR Trophy with Gallic shield and carnyx; below, captive seated r. with hands tied behind back. Babelon Julia 27 var. C 19 var. Sydenham 1010. Sear Imperators 12. RBW 1581. Crawford 452/4.
Very rare and among the finest specimen known. A banker's mark on cheek
and minor areas of weakness, otherwise extremely fine


Few military campaigns have been more closely studied than the one Julius Caesar led in Gaul in the 50s B.C. It is well-documented in Caesar's own words, involved years of intense warfare, two crossings of the Rhine, a brief 'invasion' of Britain, and secured Gaul as a Roman province. Caesar's skills as a commander were tested most severely in 52 B.C. when he besieged the Arverni chieftain Vercingetorix in the oppidum of Alesia, only to be besieged himself by a massive army of Celts that arrived afterward. In an almost unbelievable turn of events, Caesar's legions emerged victorious against a combined Gallic army perhaps 350,000 strong. His conquest of Gaul was complete by 51 B.C., by which time the senate and his former ally Pompey Magnus had united against his growing authority. During his campaigns Caesar attained hero status by sending back reports of his exploits in the seven books of De Vello Gallico and the three books of De Vellio Civili. On January 7, 49 B.C. the senate demanded that Caesar disband his army and relinquish his Gallic command. Recognizing that he needed his legions for protection, Caesar refused. He famously crossed of the Rubicon on January 10, 49 B.C., forcing Pompey and many senators to sail for Greece, where, after much preparation on both sides, they were defeated by Caesar at the battle of Pharsalus on August 9 of the following year. Since this denarius likely was produced in the aftermath of Pharsalus, Caesar had to select his designs carefully, making it clear that the victories celebrated were those in Gaul, not in Spain or Greece against the Pompeians. Thus, the arms and armor are of distinctly Gaulish types, and the bound captive – often thought to represent Vercingetorix himself – is a wild-haired Gaul. Two other issues are associated with the present type, denarii and quinarii depicting on their obverses the heads female divinities and on their reverses Gallic trophies. They also bear the formulaic inscription for the number 52 that on this denarius appears behind the head of the divinity. This has long been recognized as an indication that the coins were struck in the 52nd year of Caesar's life, allowing all three issues to be dated to the one-year period beginning July 13, 48 B.C.