American Journal of Philology

Abstract:

This article reconsiders Caesar's so-called elephant denarius (RRC 443/1), struck in 49 b.c.e. at the beginning of the civil war. It argues that the apex featured on the obverse, which has long been understood as a reference to Caesar as pontifex maximus, is actually an allusion to his status as a salius. Through a consideration of the written and visual evidence, the article shows that the apex is not associated with the pontifex maximus on extant coins prior to the death of Caesar, when rival claimants to his power appropriated his iconography for themselves.