Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 3.95 g, 9 h), military mint moving with Caesar in Spain, 48-47. Diademed female head (Clementia?) to right, wearing oak wreath, pendant earring and pearl necklace; in field to left, LII (Caesar's age). Rev. CAE-SAR Trophy of Gallic arms, with horned helmet, oval shield and carnyx; below, bearded Gallic captive seated to right with his hands bound behind his back. Babelon (Julia) 28. Cohen 19 var. Crawford 452/4. CRI 12. RBW 1581. Sydenham 1010. Very rare. An unusually attractive example of this important issue, very well centered and with a beautiful rendering of a Gallic captive. Small banker's mark on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.


Roman tradition held that in the early 4th century BC, the city was sacked by an invading band of Senones under the leadership of Brennus. Ever since, Roman society had a deep-seated fear for Gauls, and it was this fear that allowed Julius Caesar to present his unprovoked attack on the Celtic Helvetii in 58 BC as an act of sensible self-defence. Over the next eight years, Caesar pursued an aggressive military campaign which brought all of Gaul under Roman control, launching him as the leading figure of the Republic. The reverse of our coin clearly references the Gallic Wars. It shows a Gaul seated below a trophy built from his own equipment, an unkempt bogeyman subdued by Caesar's military might, thus ensuring Rome's safety from any further barbarian threat.