Lot 4358

AR Denarius (uncertain mint (Ultica?) c. AD 46, 4.01 g) - COS TERT DICT ITER Head of Ceres right wearing wreath of barley / AVGVR Culullus, aspergillum, jug and lituus, in outer field right, D and below, PONT MAX (Crawford 467/1a / Sydenham 1023 / FFC 3) - a.XF, struck with fresh dies, toning, pleasing coin. Splendid denarius of Julius Caesar who was struck to pay his veterans: the 'D' on the back stands for donativum = extra donation to soldiers often paid from war booty. The legend on the obverse of this denarius honors the functions Julius Caesar held in the year of his victory over the Pompeian forces. His titles on the obverse are functional: consul for the fourth time and dictator for the second time, while the image on the reverse is strictly religious and refers to his previous status as one of the augurs and as pontifex maximus. The image of Ceres on the obverse may refer to the greater certainty about the Roman supply of grain that must have arisen after the defeat of the Pompeiians at the Battle of Thapsus (April 6, 46 BC) in North Africa.