AUGUSTUS, with DIVUS JULIUS CAESAR. 27 BC-14 AD. AR Denarius (19mm, 4.03 g, 10h). Rome mint. Struck 17 BC. M. Sanquinius, moneyer. AVGVSTVS DIVI. F, bare head of Augustus right / M SANQVI-NIVS III VIR, laureate head of Divus Julius Caesar right; comet above. RIC I 338; BMCRE 71; RSC 1 (Julius Caesar and Augustus). Good VF. Great metal for issue.
Julius Caesar was killed by Brutus, Cassius, and other conspirators on the Ides (15) of March 44 BC. When a comet was observed in the night sky shortly following his assassination, it was widely believed that it represented the Divine Julius Caesar, as a god. This particular denarius celebrates Julius Caesar's diefied status, as evidenced by the appearance of the comet.
