JULIUS CAESAR. Denarius (49 BC). Military mint traveling with Caesar.

Obv: CAESAR.
Elephant advancing right, trampling upon horned serpent.
Rev: Emblems of the pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis and apex.

Crawford 443/1; CRI 9; RBW 1557.

With the beginning of the Civil Wars, this is the first coin issued in open defiance of the Senate, bearing the name of a private individual. There is no agreement on the place of issue, Crawford attributes it to an itinerant mint. According to D. Van Meter (The Hanbook of Roman Imperial Coins) the coin, was minted in 49-48 to finance the invasion of Italy, the allegory would refer to the salvation of the Republic (the snake/dragon), crushed by Metellus Scipio (whose gens had an elephant depicted on their coins). It is generally believed that it is a dragon that is trampled upon; the African elephant would not only allude to the victory against Ariovistus in 58 BC (the dragon was on the banner of the Germans) but also to the name of Caesar, who discovered the existence of a homograph word for elephant in the Mauri' language in Mauretania. Religious emblems here depicted are symbols of priestly offices: the jug and the lituus representing the functions associated with the Pontefices and the Augures. Both ensure the legitimacy of all political action, ensuring the salvation of the Roman state through respect for the divine will. Caesar himself holds most of the religious offices and uses them for propaganda purposes in a new type of coin that emphasises his supreme authority.

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 3.98 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.