Roman Republic Octavian, 32-28 BC. Denarius 28 BC, uncertain eastern mint (Pergamon?). CAESAR · DIVI F - (C)OS VI Bare head right, small capricorn below neck / AEGVPTO - CAPTA Crocodile right with jaws closed. 3,86g. BMC 653; Cohen 4; RIC 545. Of remarkable quality. Provenance: NAC 114 (6 May 2019), 570. Under Ptolemaic rule since the death of Alexander the Great, Egypt was governed from 51 BC by one of the most fascinating women in history: Cleopatra VII. After becoming Caesar’s lover, a relationship that enabled her to preserve the independence of her kingdom, she went on to live one of the most celebrated love stories in history with Mark Antony, one of the two most powerful men in the Roman world following Caesar’s assassination. Together, Antony and Cleopatra enjoyed a life of extraordinary luxury in Alexandria and had three children. As time passed, Mark Antony increasingly adopted the trappings and manner of an Eastern monarch, going so far as to grant Roman territories to his children. His actions provoked growing anger among the Roman Senate and people, providing Octavian with the perfect opportunity to declare war on the couple. The decisive confrontation came at sea at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Octavian emerged victorious and subsequently marched on Egypt. With the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, Egypt ceased to exist as an independent kingdom and became a Roman province, placed under the direct authority of the emperor. This fascinating denarius commemorates Octavian’s conquest of Egypt, with the crocodile serving as its personification. More than a mere record of military victory, this coin marks a watershed in history: the end of nearly 3,000 years of pharaonic and Hellenistic Egyptian civilization as an independent political entity. Egypt would remain under Roman rule for more than four centuries, becoming one of the wealthiest and most strategically important provinces of the Empire, and above all Rome's primary grain supplier.