Julius Caesar – Silver Denarius with Venus, Aeneas and Anchises
A historically important silver denarius struck for Julius Caesar during the closing years of the Roman Republic, combining family mythology, divine ancestry and political authority in one of the most recognizable coin types associated with Caesar.
Coin Details
Authority: Julius Caesar
Date: 48–47 BC
Mint: Military mint traveling with Caesar in North Africa
Denomination: Denarius
Material: Silver (AR)
Weight: 3.80 g
Diameter: 18 mm
Condition: Good Fine
References: Crawford 458/1; CRI 55; RBW 1600
Provenance: Ex Numismatik Naumann, Auction 170, Lot 328, 5 July 2026
Obverse
The obverse presents the diademed head of Venus facing right.
Venus held particular importance for Julius Caesar and the Julian family, who claimed descent from the goddess through the Trojan hero Aeneas. Her presence on the coin was therefore more than decorative: it proclaimed Caesar’s sacred ancestry and suggested that his political and military success enjoyed divine favour.
The diadem identifies Venus as a figure of elevated and regal dignity. Even in its circulated state, the portrait retains a strong profile and remains immediately recognizable.
Reverse
The reverse bears the inscription CAESAR and depicts Aeneas advancing left, carrying his elderly father Anchises upon his shoulder while holding the Palladium.
The scene recalls Aeneas escaping from the burning city of Troy. Rather than abandoning his father and the sacred traditions of his people, he carries Anchises to safety and preserves the Palladium, a holy object connected with the protection and destiny of Troy.
This image represents pietas, one of the central Roman virtues: devotion to family, the gods and the state. Through Aeneas, Caesar connected himself directly to the legendary founder of the Roman people and to a heroic lineage sanctioned by the gods.
Historical Context
This denarius was produced during the Roman Civil War, when Caesar was fighting the surviving supporters of Pompey and the senatorial faction. A traveling military mint accompanied his forces, allowing silver coins to be struck wherever the army required payment and supplies.
The issue therefore functioned both as currency and as political communication. Soldiers, merchants and local communities who handled the coin encountered a carefully constructed message: Caesar was not simply a victorious commander, but the heir to Rome’s Trojan origins and the favoured descendant of Venus.
The type belongs to a decisive period in Roman history. Within only a few years, Caesar would defeat his principal rivals, concentrate unprecedented authority in his hands and transform the political order of the Republic.
Historical Importance
The combination of Venus and Aeneas made this coin one of Caesar’s clearest statements of personal ancestry and legitimacy.
The obverse looks toward the divine origin of the Julian family, while the reverse connects that ancestry with the foundation story of Rome. Together, the designs present Caesar as a leader whose authority rested not only upon military victory, but also upon religion, tradition and destiny.
The simple inscription CAESAR is equally significant. It places his family name prominently before the viewer and reflects the growing power of individual identity in the coinage of the late Republic.
Why This Coin Matters
This denarius is far more than an ancient silver coin. It is a surviving piece of political propaganda issued during one of the most dramatic conflicts in Roman history.
Its imagery brings together:
* Julius Caesar’s claimed descent from Venus;
* Aeneas and the legendary origins of Rome;
* the Roman virtue of devotion and duty;
* the military campaigns that contributed to the fall of the Republic.
Struck by a mint traveling with Caesar’s army, the coin may once have formed part of a military payment during the campaigns that reshaped the Roman world. Today, it offers a direct and tangible connection to Julius Caesar, the final crisis of the Republic and the beginnings of Rome’s transformation into an imperial state.