OCTAVIAN. Denarius (36 BC). Mint in central or southern Italy. Ex Testa Pietro Paolo
Obv: IMP CAESAR DIVI F III VIR ITER R P C.
Bare head right.
Rev: COS ITER ET TER DESIG.
Tetrastyle temple, containing veiled and togate statue of Julius Caesar holding lituus; in pediment, star; on architrave, inscription DIVO IVL; in left field, lighted altar.
Crawford 540/2; CRI 315.
Condition: Good fine.
Weight: 3.75 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.
Octavian is here firmly cementing his connection to the now 'divine' Julius Caesar, thinly disguised as the more traditional fulfilment of pietas, in the minds of the Roman people. The bearded portrait on the obverse, the typical attitude of mourning for the male Roman citizen, recalls the assassination of his patron and adoptive father eight years before, but it is with the reverse type that the message is made clear. Depicting a structure that had not yet been built was a calculated move from Octavian that in part renewed his commitment to the project, which had been agreed six years earlier. Finally dedicated in 29 BC, construction having started only after the Battle of Actium, the Temple of Divus Julius was built on the site in the forum where Caesar's body had been cremated fifteen years previously.