Struck in 18 BC, this denarius belongs to a deliberate propaganda campaign by Augustus to legitimize his rule through direct association with Julius Caesar, officially deified by the Senate in 42 BC. The comet — the sidus Iulium — observed for seven days during Caesar's memorial games in 44 BC was interpreted publicly as his soul ascending to godhood; Augustus exploited that moment relentlessly for decades. RIC I 102 falls within the Spanish mint issues, likely Colonia Patricia, attributed to the period when Augustus was reorganizing the western provinces following his settlement of 27 BC.
Struck in 18 BC, this denarius belongs to a deliberate propaganda campaign by Augustus to legitimize his rule through direct association with Julius Caesar, officially deified by the Senate in 42 BC. The comet — the sidus Iulium — observed for seven days during Caesar's memorial games in 44 BC was interpreted publicly as his soul ascending to godhood; Augustus exploited that moment relentlessly for decades. RIC I 102 falls within the Spanish mint issues, likely Colonia Patricia, attributed to the period when Augustus was reorganizing the western provinces following his settlement of 27 BC.