Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 123 23-24 May 2023
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The Triumvirs. Octavian. Autumn 30-summer 29 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.69 g, 10h). Uncertain mint in Italy (Rome?). Bare head right / IMP • CAESAR on the architrave of the Roman Senate House (Curia Julia), with porch supported by four short columns, statue of Victory on globe surmounting apex of roof, and statues of standing figures at the extremities of the architrave. CRI 421; RIC I 266; RSC 122. Pitting, trace deposits. Good VF.
This audacious denarius, it can be argued, symbolized the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. The Curia Julia, a structure which still stands today just north of the Roman Forum, began its construction under Julius Caesar as a new building for Senate meetings. Its true purpose was to reorient the Senate of Rome to be an appendage of the Roman Forum rather than in its own demarcated area of prominence – yet another of Caesar's slights against the authority of the Senate. The Curia Julia's construction and Caesar's simultaneous reorganization of the Comitium forced the Senate to temporarily meet at the Theater of Pompey – a further indignity that became a consideration during their fatal conspiracy against Caesar. With Caesar's assassination at the hands of the Senate on the Ides of March, the Curia Julia remained unfinished for a decade and a half of ensuing triumviral civil wars. Octavian, the adopted heir to Caesar and the emergent victor of the civil conflicts, would finally complete and officially dedicate the structure on the 28th of August, 29 BC – mere weeks after the celebrations of his military conquests. In doing so, Octavian succeeded in appearing to restore power to the Senate and the Republic after years of strife, while sending a strong message to the political establishment of Rome that the work of his adoptive father would not be denied. By prominently displaying the legend IMP • CAESAR on the architrave of the Curia Julia on the reverse of this coin, Octavian officially claims the Roman Senate House in the name of Julius Caesar, and continues the momentum of a legacy that would unravel the Roman Republic.
This audacious denarius, it can be argued, symbolized the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. The Curia Julia, a structure which still stands today just north of the Roman Forum, began its construction under Julius Caesar as a new building for Senate meetings. Its true purpose was to reorient the Senate of Rome to be an appendage of the Roman Forum rather than in its own demarcated area of prominence – yet another of Caesar's slights against the authority of the Senate. The Curia Julia's construction and Caesar's simultaneous reorganization of the Comitium forced the Senate to temporarily meet at the Theater of Pompey – a further indignity that became a consideration during their fatal conspiracy against Caesar. With Caesar's assassination at the hands of the Senate on the Ides of March, the Curia Julia remained unfinished for a decade and a half of ensuing triumviral civil wars. Octavian, the adopted heir to Caesar and the emergent victor of the civil conflicts, would finally complete and officially dedicate the structure on the 28th of August, 29 BC – mere weeks after the celebrations of his military conquests. In doing so, Octavian succeeded in appearing to restore power to the Senate and the Republic after years of strife, while sending a strong message to the political establishment of Rome that the work of his adoptive father would not be denied. By prominently displaying the legend IMP • CAESAR on the architrave of the Curia Julia on the reverse of this coin, Octavian officially claims the Roman Senate House in the name of Julius Caesar, and continues the momentum of a legacy that would unravel the Roman Republic.