Julius Caesar, Silver Denarius

This coin is one of the very first issued by one of the most famous/infamous individuals from the ancient world: Julius Caesar. A powerful senator, consul and military general during the late Roman Republic, Caesar used his military success to maneuver his way into the title of perpetual dictator (dictator perpetuo) just before his assassination in 44 BCE. Venus was often featured as part of Caesar's building projects, issued coins, and commissioned statues. One his most important building projects was starting the Forum of Caesar in 54 BCE as part of the Roman Forum. The forum included a temple to Venus Genetrix, or Venus the mother. Caesar claimed that the Julii family descended from Aeneas, the Trojan hero, whose mother was Venus. This connection solidified his claim to power as his family was not only descended from a founder of Rome, but also from a goddess.

This connection is reiterated by the depiction of Aeneas on the REVERSE of this coin. The myth of Aeneas states that he fled the burning city of Troy carrying his father, Anchises, on his back. The famous tale of Aeneas by Virgil, entitled The Aeneid, recounts his adventures in the Homeric style, taking many elements from the epics The Illiad and The Odyssey. Virgil's epic poem, written between 29 and 19 BCE, is considered one of the greatest pieces of literature from antiquity.