Augustus

Denarius · Silver

RIC I² 338

Obverse

Head of Augustus, bare, right

Reverse

Four-rayed comet with tail above youthful head, laureate, right (Deified Julius Caesar)

Historical Note

The portrait of the deified Julius Caesar (Divus Iulius) with the Sidus Iulium — the comet that appeared at his funeral games in 44 BC — is one of the most explicitly theological coin types of the Augustan period. Caesar had been formally deified by the Senate in 42 BC. Augustus's claim to be 'son of the divine Julius' was a cornerstone of his legitimacy, and coinage depicting Caesar's deification directly supported that claim.