Featured Caesar's Comet

I have admired examples of this coin ever since I began collecting ancient coins, but until now, never found one in good enough condition that I could afford. One of the dealers I have purchased from in the past had this coin on the market. But because of the small edge chip, it was just collecting dust. I was more than surprised when I made him a offer which he accepted. I suppose he needed to cut his losses. And since I was purchasing this coin at an exceptional price, I asked for opinions from several of the CT family before consummating the purchase.

Caesar's Comet was known to ancient writers as the Sidus Iulium ("Julian Star") or Caesaris astrum ("Star of Julius Caesar). The bright, daylight-visible comet appeared during the festival known as the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris – for which the 44 BC iteration was held in the month of July in the same year, some four months after the assassination of Julius Caesar, as well as Caesar's own birth month. According to Suetonius, as celebrations were getting underway, "a comet shone for seven successive days, rising about the eleventh hour, and was believed to be the soul of Caesar."



The Comet became a symbol in the political propaganda that launched the career of Caesar's great-nephew (and adoptive son) Augustus. The Temple of Divus Iulius was built (42 BC) and dedicated (29 BC) by Augustus for purposes of fostering a "cult of the comet". At the back of the temple a huge image of Caesar was erected and, according to Ovid, a flaming comet was affixed to its forehead.

For illustration, not mine:



One of the clearest and earliest connections of Caesar to a comet occurred during the Secular Games of 17 BC when moneyer M. Sanquinius struck coins with a reverse showing a comet over the head of a wreathed man whom numismatists speculate is either a youthful Caesar, the Genius of the Secular Games, the Julian family, or Aeneas’ son Iulus. These coins were meant to strengthened the link between Julius Caesar and Augustus since Augustus associated himself with the Julians. Another set of Spanish coins, and the one I just purchased, displays an eight-rayed comet with the words DIVVS IVLIVS.

Ovid describes the deification of Caesar in Metamorphoses (8 AD):

Then Jupiter, the Father, spoke..."Take up Caesar’s spirit from his murdered corpse, and change it into a star, so that the deified Julius may always look down from his high temple on our Capitol and forum." He had barely finished, when gentle Venus stood in the midst of the Senate, seen by no one, and took up the newly freed spirit of her Caesar from his body, and preventing it from vanishing into the air, carried it towards the glorious stars. As she carried it, she felt it glow and take fire, and loosed it from her breast: it climbed higher than the moon, and drawing behind it a fiery tail, shone as a star.

Now for the coin in question:


AUGUSTUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CAESAR AVGVSTVS, head left wearing oak wreath
REVERSE: DIVVS-IVLIVS to left and right of eight rayed comet
with tail upwards
Uncertain Spanish Mint, possibly Caesaraugusta 19-18 BC
3.45g, 21mm
RIC 137b RSC 97

Caesaraugusta or Caesar Augusta was the name of the Roman city of modern day Zaragoza . It was founded as an immune colony of Rome in the year 25 - 14 BC. Its foundation took place as part of the reorganization of the provinces of Hispania by Caesar Augustus after his victory in the Asturian-Cantabrian wars. A core of soldiers from the legions IV Macedonica, VI Victrix and X Gemina established the colony and integrated into the Iberian Salduie.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Great coin @Bing. I sure wish I had one in my collection. It would be nice to hold Julius' soul in my hand!

 

Great write up and an excellent coin. Congrats on this superb addition

 

Very informative write-up Bing - thank you for posting that. An excellent coin too. Here is my example denarius (with banker’s test mark):


Augustus - RIC 38b (17 BC) - Spain (Colonial)

 

Wow!!! I've always wanted one of those!

 

Thanks for the excellent write up. I really enjoyed learning more about this very special type. And big CONGRATS On the fantastic new coin!
I've no magical star of Julius, though I do have a divus Julius Caesar via Augustus:


Augustus with Divus Julius Caesar
(27 BC-14 AD) MACEDON. Thessalonica. Obv: ΘEOΣ.
Wreathed head of Julius Caesar right; uncertain c/m on neck.
Rev: ΘEΣΣAΛONIKEΩN.
Bare head of Augustus right; Δ below. RPC I 1554.
Fine. 12.3 g.21 mm.
The D has been interpreted as either a denomination mark (four assaria) or, more likely, a date - year four of the Actian era (28/7 BC). The ligate NK monogram has been generally accepted as a reference to Nero (Nerwn Kaisar). This is problematic considering that Thessalonica had abundant coinages issued under Claudius and Nero, such that countermarking these quite older coins would be unlikely. Touratsoglou(p. 105) follows Kraay's suggestion that the NK is an abbreviation for Nike (NiKh), and was applied to the coins during celebrations of the city's 50th anniversary of its grant of liberty by the Romans. All but two of the known specimens of this countermark occur on the coins of this first issue of Thessalonica, and the wear on the countermarks is nearly identical to that of the coins, suggesting that the countermarks could not have been applied very long after the coins entered circulation.

 

Big ol' congrats, Bing! Fantastic coin, very historic .

 

WOW! @Bing , fantastic find! Beautiful coin, well struck, centered, perfect amount of wear... just great. WHAT CHIP???
Ah don't see no chip!

I was not going to post my coin, but this really hits home on this issue. I captured this one because of it was minted during the last 2 weeks prior to Caesar's assassination. The symbol below the scepter is a STAR. Cool premonition prior to his death! Couple that up with the Seer's warning "Beware the EIde of Mar"!

This Denarius was minted 4 months before the Star appeared in July, 44 BCE.

Roman Imperatorial Era
Julius Caesar Lifetime
P Sepullius Macer AR Den
1st 2 weeks-Mar 44 BCE 4.03g.
CAESAR – DICT PERPETVO Veiled -
Venus Victory sceptre star
Syd 1074a Sear Imperators 107e Cr 480-14
Rare

Andrew Alföldi arranges Crawford 480 series coins in (44 BC) month order as follows:

RRC 480/1, Buca - January
RRC 480/2, DICT QVART - early February
RRC 480/3/4/5, CAESAR IMP - late February
RRC 480/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14, DICT PERPETVO - early to mid March14
RRC 480/17/18, CAESAR IMPER - late March
RRC 480/19/20, PARENS PATRIAE - April
RRC 480/15/16, MARIDIANVS - April
RRC 480/21/22, CLEMENTIAE CAESARIS and Mark Antony - April

 

Great post - and superb coin - Brian!

 

Neat coin JW, I like the portrait on it. Congrats.

 

Wonderful coin .. great portrait and clear legend. Amazing.

Here is my recently acquired (and worn) Augustus with Divus Julius Caesar.

 

Thank you, James. I was very fortunate finding this one, being minted within the last 2 weeks of his life.

 

Very interestive write up, Bing..

 

Nice pickup, Bing! Here are my 37B, 338, and 340 (the latter, part of a saec games mini collection I've been accumulating):

 

Beautiful examples @rg3

 

I'm glad you got to bring that one home @Bing !

 

Sweet comets, Bing and all!

Mine's been in a few rounds with the Klingons :



Erin

 

One of my favourite types too. Awesome coin @Bing!

 

Nice score, Bing! A type that has been on my want list for a long time. Yours has a great comet and the full DIVVS IVLIVS... congrats!