Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Sale 78 17 Dec 2020
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Julius Caesar AR Denarius. African mint, 47-46 BC. Diademed head of Venus right / Aeneas advancing left, carrying palladium in right hand and Anchises on left shoulder; CAESAR downwards to right. Crawford 458/1; RSC 12; CRI 55. 3.70g, 18mm, 6h.
Near Extremely Fine; graffito to obv.
From a private European collection.
The reverse of this coin features a scene from Virgil's Aeneid. Aeneas is depicted carrying his lame father, Anchises, from the destroyed city of Troy to find new dwellings to the west. According to Virgil, Aeneas and his entourage eventually settled in Italy and their descendants, Romulus and Remus, went on to play a key role in founding the city of Rome. As a member of the Julian clan, which claimed to trace its ancestry back to Romulus, Remus and Aeneas, Caesar is here emphasising his connection to the mythical founders of Rome and demonstrating his divine right to rule.
Near Extremely Fine; graffito to obv.
From a private European collection.
The reverse of this coin features a scene from Virgil's Aeneid. Aeneas is depicted carrying his lame father, Anchises, from the destroyed city of Troy to find new dwellings to the west. According to Virgil, Aeneas and his entourage eventually settled in Italy and their descendants, Romulus and Remus, went on to play a key role in founding the city of Rome. As a member of the Julian clan, which claimed to trace its ancestry back to Romulus, Remus and Aeneas, Caesar is here emphasising his connection to the mythical founders of Rome and demonstrating his divine right to rule.