04/09/2026
At first glance, this Roman silver coin, a denarius, might not appear all that unusual and in fact the portrait on the front might even be familiar or recognisable. However, it represents a first in Roman coinage.
The inscription on the front of the coin, CAESAR IMP, tells us that this is Julius Caesar, the ritual staff (lituus) and vessel (cullulus) behind his head indicate his position as augur and Pontifex Maximus (chief priest).
The back of the coin depicts Venus holding a spear, shield and a small winged Victory that alludes to Caesar’s claimed divine ancestry through his family, the Julii, to Venus via her son, the Trojan hero Aeneas.
This belongs to a group of coins struck for Caesar in 44 BCE that break from Roman tradition and, for the first time, depict a living Roman on Roman coinage.
It highlights his supreme authority in Rome as dictator for life, a position that prompted a group of senators led by Brutus to plot his assassination in an attempt to prevent tyranny on the Ides of March 44 BCE.
Silver Roman denarius of Julius Caesar, mint of Rome, 44 BCE. HCR5588.
