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Roman Republican/Imperatorial. Julius Caesar (Dictator, 49-44 BCE). AR Denarius (3.70g, 20mm, 12h). Military mint moving with Caesar in Spain, 46-45 BCE.
Obv: Head of Venus to right, wearing stephane; Cupid behind shoulder
Rev: Trophy of Gallic arms, composed of helmet and cuirass, oval shield and two carnyxes. Two Gallic captives seated at base, to left, a female (Gallia) in posture of mourning, head resting in r. hand; to right, a bearded male (Vercingetorix) with hands bound behind him, looking l. CAESAR in exergue.
Reference: Crawford 468/1; CRI 58; RSC 13; Sydenham 1014.
Provenance: Ex-Tauler y Fau Substastas Auction 70, Lot 79 (Madrid, 24 Nov 2020), with export license from Spain.
Video of this coin is available here.
Numismatic Notes: The figures on the reverse of this coin are traditionally identified as the same as those portrayed on the obverses of the pair of Hostilius Saserna AR Denarii, c. 48 BCE, depicting Gallia (left) and Vercingetorix (right).
This coin became the archetype for Roman numismatic depictions of captives for the next 400 years (gallery of selected Barbarians, Captives, Enemies). The trophy with two captives beneath was used frequently in the 3rd century (e.g., by Septimius Severus and Caracalla) and became a popular type on 4th century small bronze coinage (see, e.g., the Constantine AE3s). Even those depicting a single captive borrowed from this imagery; e.g., Judaea (under Vespasian et al.), Armenia (L. Verus et al.), and Dacia (Trajan et al.), among others, were depicted as female personifications in the same attitude of dejection/posture of mourning.
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