Roman Empire Augustus, 27 BC - 14 CE. Aureus 15-13 BC, Lugdunum (Lyon). AVGVSTVS - DIVI · F Bare head right / Bull butting left, IMP · X under exergual line. 7,91g. Calicó 214; Cohen 140; RIC 168. A superb specimen. Good extremely fine. Provenance: Rauch 96 (10 December 2014), 259. Beyond its traditional associations with strength, fertility, and sacrifice, the bull had also a strong connection with the Julian family. It was closely associated with Venus, the divine ancestress of the Julii, and had been adopted as the emblem of the legions raised by Julius Caesar. Its appearance on an Augustan aureus could therefore evoke the divine ancestry of the Julian house. In the aftermath of the civil wars, this was a powerful image: Augustus was presenting himself not only as Caesar’s heir, but also as the legitimate successor of a family whose origins reached back to Venus and the heroic past of Rome.