The Triumvirs. Octavian. 28 BC. AR Denarius (20.5mm, 3.53 g, 1h). "Aegypto Capta" commemorative. Uncertain mint in Italy (Rome?). Bare head right; lituus behind neck / Crocodile standing right with jaws open; AEGVPTO above, CAPTA below. CRI 430; RIC I 275a; RSC 2. Attractive cabinet toning, a few light marks, small flan flaw on obverse. Near VF. Rare. Ex Peter J. Merani Collection (Triton XXIV, 19 January 2021), lot 77, purchased from Kirk Davis; I. Vecchi 4 (5 December 1996), lot 44.Following the decisive battle of Actium, in August of 30 BC Octavian invaded Egypt and founded the Prefecture of Egypt, leaving intact the Ptolemaic structures in culture and administration. Octavian struck this issue to commemorate the event; the reverse depicts a crocodile, which was the symbol of the country and, locally, an important deity.
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