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Message:: [QUOTE="JayAg47, post: 8432071, member: 112342"]This denarius was minted under Augustus celebrating the Secular games (Ludi Saeculares) in 17 BC.[ATTACH=full]1495101[/ATTACH] Obv: M SANQVINIVS (moneyer) III VIR, youthful laureate head of the deified Julius Caesar right, above, a comet with four rays and a tail.Rev: AVGVST DIVI F LVDOS SAE, herald or ludius standing left, wearing long robe reaching to ankles and helmet with two long feathers, and holding winged caduceus upright in right hand and round shield with a six pointed star.2.48g, 17 mm. In the book Natural History, Pliny the Elder talks about how this comet signified a new era when it appeared during the games held in honour of Venus Genetrix, the patron deity of the Julii, and how this event cemented the notion of Augustus claiming himself the 'son of god' or DIVI FILIVS.In the book he quoted Augustus saying "On the very days of my games a comet was visible for seven days in the northern region of the sky. It used to raise about an hour before the dark and was bright and visible from all lands. The general populace believed that this signified Caesar's soul received among the spirits of the immortal gods, and this gave rise to the addition of a star to the bust of Caesar that we dedicated soon after in the forum".[/QUOTE]