Et Tu, Denarius? The Coin That Celebrated Caesar’s Death

In the months after Julius Caesar’s death and in the midst of planning a war against his successors, Caesar’s assassins did something remarkable: they minted a silver denarius coin with daggers, a liberty cap, and the Ides of March date to celebrate the murder. In this talk, Dr. Robyn La Blanc, Assistant Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies & Archaeology at UNC-Greensboro, will explore the imagery and messages communicated by that coin, who it was intended for, and why the assassins bothered with this type of political messaging in the first place. From there, we’ll trace the long afterlife of the coin and its legacy as it was adopted and adapted by later Roman emperors and Renaissance assassins—but for what purpose? From the ancient senate floor to Roman military camps in Greece to a midnight road in Renaissance Florence and all the way to a modern online auction house, we’ll follow the trail of this extraordinary coin and its impact on more than 1500 years of history. This talk is offered in conjunction with the exhibit Pocket Change: A Story of Coins through Time. Admission is free.