Julius Caesar, Denarius
Artist/Culture
Roman
Date48–46 BCE
Mediumsilver
Dimensions0.2 mm (11/16 in.)
ClassificationsMetalwork
Credit LineMr. and Mrs. Mark Salton
Object number2001.185
DescriptionRepublican denarius; obv: Diademed head of Venus to right
rev: Aeneas fleeing Troy, carrying Anchises and the Palladium; To right, 'CAESAR'. Border of dots.
note: This coin was struck several years before Caesar's death. The reverse side shows an image of Aeneas, the mythical founder of the Roman race, saving his father and the palladium (a sacred image of Athena) from the sack of Troy. This plays on important themes of Caesar's political propoganda: veneration for one's parents and ancestors, and for the gods. Caesar claimed to trace his family back to Aeneas, and this reference would not have gone unnoticed by Roman citizens using these coins.
ProvenanceMr. and Mrs. Mark Salton
On View
Not on view
