CLASSICS - Imperial Image: Visual Propaganda – The Comet Denarius

This KS5 lesson is designed for OCR A Level Classical Civilisation: Imperial Image and focuses on the denarius depicting Augustus wearing an oak wreath on the obverse and an eight-rayed comet on the reverse, developing students’ understanding of visual propaganda and Augustus’ association with the deified Julius Caesar.

The lesson begins with a recap of the previously studied aureus featuring Octavian and Julius Caesar, before revisiting how students should approach and analyse visual sources. Contextual information is then provided to support understanding of the denarius, its imagery and the significance of the comet in relation to Julius Caesar’s deification and Augustus’ Imperial Image.

Students then compare the denarius with Ovid’s Metamorphoses, considering how a literary and visual source use Caesar’s deification differently. This leads to the comparative question: ‘Which source more effectively uses Julius Caesar’s deification to strengthen Augustus’ Imperial Image?’

The lesson concludes with a short formative assessment using a post-it note, requiring students to recall and explain key information about the coin before leaving. This resource combines visual source analysis, contextual knowledge and comparison across prescribed sources.