19-18 BC Denarius

Cards (9)

  • A) Laurel wreath
    B) Caesar
    C) Augustus
    D) Youthful face - strong, virile, Triple A
    E) Divus Iulius stricken across
    F) 8-pointed comet with tail
    G) Divine abstraction of JC
  • Caesar - reminds us he is JC's heir, divine ancestry, reminds us of JC's military campaigns and position as Pont Max
  • Augustus - emphasises his personal brand as 'augur' links Augustus to Apollo the god of prophecy and omens
  • Augustus - derived from augere, which means to grow or increase
  • Represents the 44 BC apotheosis and moves away from the anthropomorphic JC
  • Augustus is still reliant on JC's image as it is a big part of his public image
  • Augustus wants to move away from JC's memory lest people begin to think of him as a tyrant or de facto king; two coups from 5 BC - 5 AD
  • As a god, JC is beyond reproach and becomes a general symbol of divinity (although Virgil positions him as a an agricultural deity in his 38 BC Eclogues)
  • As a god, JC also shows Augustus' immense divine support