Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Live Auction 6 25 Mar 2023
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Julius Caesar AR Denarius. African mint, 47-46 BC. Diademed head of Venus to right / Aeneas advancing to left, carrying palladium and Anchises on shoulder; CAESAR downwards to right. Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; BMCRR East 31; RSC 12. 3.71g, 18mm, 7h.
Near Mint State.
From the collection of a Romanophile.
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 emphasizing his connection to the mythical founders of Rome and demonstrating his divine right to rule.
Near Mint State.
From the collection of a Romanophile.
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 emphasizing his connection to the mythical founders of Rome and demonstrating his divine right to rule.