![]() ![]() The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Ryerson Reference Number 1922.4856 IIIF Manifest "Divine Julius" Dimensions Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.) Credit Line Gift of Martin A. (circa) or BCE.ġ9 BCE–18 BCE Medium Silver Inscriptions Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. Status On View, Gallery 153 Department Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium Culture Ancient Roman Title Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus Place Spain (Minted in) Dateĭates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Augustus (reigned 27 BC–AD 14), was the first Roman emperor and dictated that he retain his youthful appearance in his portraits throughout his lifetime. Early imperial coin portraits included individualized features that identified each ruler. The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Roman Emperor Augustus facing left, with a civic oak crown. ![]() The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how coins are created today. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, with one for the front and another for the back. Caesar quickly regained control of Italy and pursued Pompey and his supporters to Greece. He first began to mint coins in his own name upon his return to Rome in 49 BC and continued to mint until his death in 44 BC. Until Late Antiquity, portraits usually appeared in profile. During the war, Caesar held many political and military offices traceable on his coinage. While the front side depicted the sovereign’s portrait, the back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or aspirations. ![]() Inscriptions on coins help identify the ruler. Thereafter, profile portraits of rulers or other members of the imperial family became the standard subject on coins throughout the Roman Empire. It was not until 44 BCE that the portrait of a living person-Julius Caesar-appeared on coins. Early coins depicted the heads of gods and goddesses on the front side, often in profile, while the back depicted animals, natural resources, symbols, and references to historical events. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BCE. The Liberators’ civil war came to its bloody climax in October 42 BC at the Battle of Philippi in Macedonia, where the forces of Brutus and Cassius were routed by the combined armies of Antony and Octavian.Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. Brutus’ stark design of the EID MAR coin was not only a political statement, it was a sober reminder to his soldiers that they were fighting for the freedom of the Roman Republic. In order to fund the army and pay their soldiers, Brutus and Cassius minted their own coins on the march. Scholars believe they were minted by a mobile coinage workshop that accompanied the army of Brutus and Cassius in the ensuing Liberators’ civil war, fought between the conspirators and the Second Triumvirate of Mark Antony, Octavian (the future first emperor, Augustus), and Caesar’s “Master of the Horse,” Lepidus. These can fetch anywhere between $200,000 and $400,000 at auction. Produced in both silver and gold, about 100 examples of the more common silver version of the EID MAR denarius are known to exist. The undisclosed buyer subsequently handed it over to US authorities in February this year, while Richard Beale, director of the London-based auction house, has been charged with grand larceny. Following an extensive investigation by members of the US Homeland Security Investigations (ICE) unit in New York and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, supervised by Matthew Bogdanos, it was determined that the coin had been looted from Greece and fraudulently put up for sale using fake provenance. The coin, which is about the size of a US nickel and weighs eight grams, was purchased by an unidentified American billionaire for US$4,188,393 at the Roma Numismatics auction in London in October 2020 – a world record for an ancient coin. Referred to as the “Denarius of Brutus” or “EID MAR,” it is one of only three known examples of the gold (“aureus”) variant still in existence. A rare version of a coin commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BC – arguably one of the most famous coins in Western history – has been returned to Greece following a special ceremony at the Greek Consulate General’s office in New York. ![]()
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