Roman Imperatorial Julius Caesar 46BC Gold Aureus NGC VF #1 Of Twelve Caesar’s

Roman Imperatorial Julius Caesar 46BC Gold Aureus NGC VF #1 of the Twelve Caesar’s.

ROMAN IMPERATORIAL. JULIUS CAESAR, d. 44 BC.

Gold aureus, 8.10g 19 mm. Issue of A. Hirtius, praetor, in Rome, ca. 46 BC.

Obv. C CAESAR COS TER, veiled head of divinity, perhaps Vesta or Pietas. Rev. A HIRTIVS P R, lituus, oenochoe, and securis, (emblems of the augurate and pontificate).

NGC graded CHOICE VERY FiNE (CHVF) Strike 3/5 Surface 4/5

The aureus was an ancient Roman gold coin (derived from the Latin word for gold, “aurum”) produced between the first century BCE and the fourth century CE. It was originally worth 25 silver denarii (plural for denarius, the primary silver coin in Rome).

Vesta
Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth and the family. Her Greek equivalent was Hestia. The worship of Vesta was highly significant to the city, extending back at least to the religious reforms of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome who ruled in the late eighth century BCE. Vesta was an especially important cult during the later Empire under Augustus, who viewed her as a symbol of the conservative values that made Rome great.

Obverse:
The central motif on the obverse is the right-facing head of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. Her head is veiled to represent her modesty and piety. The inscription C* CAESAR is found to her left; the “C” is the standard Roman abbreviation of the praenomen, or traditional first name, Gaius. To her right and in front of her face is the inscription COS * TER, which refers to Caesar’s third (tertium) consulship in 46 BCE. A ringed border of dots surrounds the design.

This particular specimen features an exceptional strike, with only the right portion of the ringed border showing signs of wear.

Reverse:
The reverse features three priestly implements of the Pontifex Maximus, a position not unlike the pope in the state religion of ancient Rome. A position, incidentally, that Julius Caesar held earlier in his career in 63 BCE and of which this coin certainly was intended to remind everyone. A Roman jug, presumably for holding water or oil for use in ritual libations, is situated in the middle. To the right is a single-headed axe; to the left is the lituus, a curved staff carried by priests and augurs.

The objects are cradled by the inscription A* HIRTIVS * PR, which stands for Aulus Hirtius Praetor. Aulus Hirtius was a longtime friend and supporter of Caesar, having worked with him since at least the Gallic campaign, going so far as to finish the eighth and final book of Caesar’s De Bello Gallico after Caesar’s death. The aureus under discussion here was minted during a time when Hirtius served as a praetor, a high-ranking magistrate with evolving duties throughout Roman history but which here can be understood to have been something like an assistant consul.

The design is surrounded by a ringed border of dots. it is relatively well-struck.