hitahomer-07 : Julius Caesar .. Roman Silver Denarius .. Graded by NGC

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Julius Caesar .. Ancient Roman Silver Denarius .. ANACS AU53

This ancient Roman silver denarius was issued by Julius Caesar, the most famous person in all of ancient history. The coin
was minted to pay the soldiers in the massive legionary army Caesar commanded in Spain in 46-45 B.C.

Caesar was one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. His conquest of Gaul greatly expanded the Roman Empire and made him a god-like figure even in his own time. During the Roman Civil War he defeated the massive army of Pompey the Great at the legendary battle of Pharsalus. His triumphs led the Senate to proclaim Caesar dictator for life, which ended the Roman Republic and began the mighty Roman Imperial period.

Caesar was born into a wealthy patrician family that claimed descent from Venus and was expected to go into politics. He had
early difficulties when he sided with Marius against his rival Sulla. After Sulla was victorious and seized control of Rome Caesar was sentenced to death. He fled Rome and did not return until Sulla himself was dead.

While Caesar was still a young man he was captured by pirates while traveling to Rhodes, but Caesar was not intimidated. He
promised the pirates he would make sure they were crucified for their crimes. They just laughed at him. The pirates demanded a huge ransom of 20 talents of silver, but Caesar pugnaciously remarked that they should raise their demand to 50 talents.

After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet of military ships at his own expense and defeated the pirates. Caesar delivered the large number of captive pirates to the provincial capitol city of Pergamon, and the governor decided to sell them into slavery. But that was not good enough for Caesar -- he personally had them all executed by crucifixion!

Caesar spent lavishly to advance his political career and climbed rapidly up the ladder of power. He was well known in Rome
due to his charming personality, his good looks and his cultivated demeanor. His love affairs were the talk of Roman society.
He was soon elected pontifex maximus (highest priest) and then praetor. He became governor of Spain, which gave him control of the Roman legions there. He took the opportunity to conquor some native tribes and was granted the right to celebrate a Triumph in the streets of Rome. His military fame had begun.

The next year Caesar was elected consul -- the highest Roman political office, similar to being President except the term was
only one year and there were two consuls serving together. He allied himself with the great general Pompey and Crassus, the
wealthiest man in the Empire. They formed the first Triumvirate and were able to dominate control of the Empire. Caesar was
granted governorships in three provinces of southern Gaul. He took command of the Roman legions there to launch a long,
difficult campaign to add the rest of Gaul to the Roman Empire.

Caesar proved to be an extremely talented and aggressive general. He won battle after battle against larger armies under the
most difficult circumstances. He developed tactics that made the Roman army more powerful than it had ever been. His
brutality against the Gauls was horrific. Nearly a million Gauls were killed and hundreds of thousands were sold into slavery. The money Caesar earned from selling slaves and captured booty made him a very rich man.

Caesar's power became so great that it alarmed the Roman Senate, which passed laws against Caesar and declared him a
criminal. Undaunted, Caesar marched his army toward Italy -- launching a civil war. The Senate appointed Pompey to oppose
Caesar. The war came to a culmination at the battle of Pharsalus. Pompey's army was far larger and he was expected to win.
But Caesar was a better general and his veteran troops were battle-hardened. Caesar emerged victorious and Pompey fled with the remains of his army to Egypt.

Caesar followed Pompey to Egypt only to find that Pompey had already been decapitated by Egyptian forces. Caesar met
Cleopatra and began a love affair. He soon conquered Egypt, adding it to the Roman Empire. After staying for awhile with
Cleopatra in Egypt, Caesar returned to Rome.

Back in Rome, Caesar seized complete control of the Roman Empire. He was appointed dictator for life, which had never
happened before in the 600 year history of the Roman Republic. The people loved him, but the Senate despised him because they had lost most of their power. Eventually a plot to remove Caesar was hatched by dozens of leading Senators. Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and other Senators on the Ides of March in 44 B.C.

(Note: I have very rare coins of Brutus, Marc Antony, Cleopatra and Nero for sale on eBay right now if you want to check them out.)

This silver denarius is a very rare and famous variety. It is actually the very first coin ever struck in the name of Julius Caesar. It was minted in 49 BC, shortly after he led his army across the Rubicon in January and before his great victory over Pompey at Pharsalus in 48 BC. The obverse features an elephant trampling a dragon or serpent. This symbolizes the victory of good over evil. The name of Caesar is featured prominently in exergue (the bottom portion of the coin). The reverse of the coin displays a simpulum (ladle used in sacrifices), a sprinkler (to sprinkle perfume during religious rituals), an axe and an apex (priest hat made from wool and olive-wood). All of these items are tools of Roman priests and symbolize the fact that Julius Caesar was not only a general he was also Pontifex Maximus -- the highest priestly office in the Roman Empire and the origin of the office of Pope, who is also known as the Pontiff.

In ancient times coins were not only money, they were also a powerful form of propaganda. Caesar used this coin to make sure the populace knew he was a great general and a spiritual leader. The coin played on the patriotism of the Roman citizens by reminding them of his fabulous military exploits against the mighty Gauls that had greatly enlarged Roman territory. Issuing coins like this proved to the people that he was a divine hero worthy of ruling Rome and its glorious Empire.

The coin has been graded as About Uncirculated by NGC. The coin has been preserved through the centuries in
extraordinary condition. It is very unusual to find a 2000 year old silver coin with such great properties. The strike is strong and clear. The centering is very good. The design details are as crisp and clean as the day it was minted in an ancient workshop. Truly a magnificent example. Act now to add this museum-quality historical artifact to your collection before somebody else beats you to it.

Examine the high-resolution pictures to appreciate the quality of this coin.

Destination: United States

Destination: Canada