Vergil Aeneid 1.288 and Ovid Metamorphoses 14.583). In the Aeneas legend she was also the mother of Aeneas (whose father was Anchises), and the Julian family claimed descent from her through Aeneas’ son Iulus (Ascanius) (cf. As Venus Genetrix she came to be thought of as the mother of the Roman people. Venus had been associated with Rome’s state religion since at least the third century BC. Hoard evidence suggests a date of 47-46 BC and Crawford (93) thus associates the issue with Caesar’s African campaign. As he was in the East between 48 and September 47 BC, any initiatives for new coinage probably did not come until he returned to Italy. By 46 BC he had dedicated a temple to Venus Genetrix (Venus the Procreator) in his new forum. Caesar had used ‘Venus Victrix’ (Venus the victory-bringer) as his watchword on the day of the battle and had vowed her a temple (Appian Civil Wars 2.68). In 48 BC Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus. The date is presumably between 48 and 46 BC. The theme of the ancestry of Caesar is reinforced here with the representation of Aeneas’ rescue of his father and of sacred objects from Troy. It was struck by a military mint travelling with Caesar in Africa. This issue was struck in large numbers and is considered to represent Caesar’s war coinage for the campaign in Africa against the Pompeians. ( Palladium = statue of Minerva, left, wearing plumed helmet and carrying small round shield and long spear.) On right, CAESAR (downwards). Rev.: Aeneas fleeing l., holding palladium in right hand carrying Anchises on his left shoulder. Obv.: Head of Venus r., diademed, wearing necklace hair in knot, falling in two locks.
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