Crawford 457/1, ROMAN IMPERATORIAL, Julius Caesar and Aulus Allienus

Rome. The Imperators.
Julius Caesar and Aulus Allienus, 48 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.64g; 20mm; 6h).
Sicilian mint, 47 BCE.

Obverse: C CAESAR IMP COS ITER; diademed and draped bust of Venus, facing right.

Reverse: A ALLIENVS PRO COS; Trinacrus facing left, placing foot on prow and holding a triskeles and cloak.

References: Crawford 457/1; HCRI 54; Sydenham 1022 (R7); BMCRR Sicily 5; Alliena 1.

Provenance: Ex NAC Spring Sale (10 May 2021) Lot 1098; M. Ratto FPL 1 (Feb 1966) Lot 363.

Aulus Allienus was a friend of Cicero's. Two of Cicero's extant letters are addressed to him. He was the legate of Cicero's brother in Asia in 60 BC, and praetor in 49 BCE. In 48 BCE, he held the province of Sicily. He continued in Sicily until 47 BCE when he received the title of proconsul. While proconsul in Sicily, he sent troops to support Julius Caesar in Africa against the Pompeians. These coins were issued as initial pay for those troops.

The coin depicts Venus on the obverse, alluding to the Julia gens’ mythical descent from the goddess and her first appearance on a coin of Caesar (many would follow). On the reverse, Trinacrus holds a trinacria (triskeles), the symbol of “three-cornered” Sicily - his right foot on the prow of a vessel. These devices make clear the Sicilian origin of the issue. Trinacrus is described by numismatic scholars as a son of Neptune, whose myth appears to have been created as an explanation for the early name for Sicily (Trinacria), which is more likely derived from the island’s triangular shape. Grueber agreed with the Trinacrus attribution because the god is depicted in the same position as Neptune is often shown, with his foot on a prow.

The coin is one of the rarer issues in the name of Caesar (R7 in Sydenham). Crawford estimated fewer than 30 obverse dies and fewer than 33 reverse dies. Schaefer’s Roman Republican Die Project includes just 13 obverse and 13 reverse dies.