The Star and Crescent on Roman Imperial Coins
Solar eclipses in ancient times created fear and panic. The Romans learned astrology and astronomy from the Greeks, Egyptians and Near Eastern cultures. Roman culture was heavily influenced by events in the heavens. Roman Caesars would capitalize on astronomic signs to validate their divinity as the "son of god" or in some cases as god personified. Caesar's agenda would be approved by the gods and shown to the population thru the ancient skies. The following examples on Roman coins are linked to these heavenly signs. The region known as the Levant, which is modern day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Iraq, and Egypt, was critical to the history of the Roman Empire. Astrologically the Ram or Aries represents Judea on Roman provincial coinage of the Levant. Stars to the ancients were actually planets. The star and crescent are representing solar eclipses. Imagine viewing an eclipse without prior knowlege or modern photography. Before the terror of a total eclpise, multiple or single flashes of light would appear as the moon obscured the sun. Clouds or dust would augment this effect.
