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THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD
THE REPUBLICAN PERIOD
The founding of Rome has several origin stories, with the tales of the twins Romulus and Remus, along with the story of Aeneas being the most prominent. The year of the founding is often given as 753 B.C., though the establishment of the Roman Republic traditionally ascribed to 509 B.C. when the last of the Roman kings was driven out by a group headed by Lucius Junius Brutus (ancestor of a much more famous Brutus).
The system of government that was established, with consuls instead of kings and most power residing in the hands of the Senate, lasted up until the days of Julius Caesar over 450 years later.
So far I haven't given much attention to coins from this era, but in the future I might. The denarius from 140 BC below, is a very typical coin of the mid to late Republic, and is about as representative as I could find.
Republican denarius of C. Valerius C.f. Flaccus - 140 BC
AR Denarius: Rome mint. 3.91g – 18mm
OBV: Helmeted head of Roma facing right, value mark X behind. Lettering: X
REV: Victory in a biga facing right, holding whip and reins. Lettering: FLAC C•VAL•C•F ROMA
REF: RRC# 228/2
Ex. Marcantica - Vcoins.com (Dec. 2020)
This typical denarius above serves as a representation of what coinage looked like before the beginnings of the fall of the republic. The name "denarius" means "containing ten," in this case a denarius was worth 10 Roman asses (the As was a bronze coin used for smaller purchases). The X to the back of Roma's head stands for the "ten" value.
Traditionally a denarius is regarded as what a skilled laborer could expect to earn in a day. At the time of Julius Caesar's death, a common legionary would expect to be paid 225 denarii a year.
Republican denarius of Lucius Appuleius Saturninus - 104 BC
AR Denarius: Rome mint. 3.79g – 18mm
OBV: Helmeted head of Roma
REV: Saturnus driving quadriga to right, holding reins and harpa, an X and dot below (L SATVRN in ex)
REF: Crawford 317/3b
Ex. CNG eAuction 471 (Jul. 2020)
If you want to read a story about a man with a wild life, then Saturninus will certainly fit the bill. He played a key role in Marius maintaining his grip on the consulship, and for his troubles, gets killed by a storm of roof tiles just four years after this coin was minted. His story is dramatically told in part of Colleen McCullough's excellent novel, The First Man in Rome.
L. Sulla and L. Manlius Torquatus - 82 BC
AR Denarius - mint moving with Sulla in Italy
OBV: L · MANLI - PRO · Q; Helmeted head of Roma to right
REV: L · SVLLA · IM Sulla driving slow quadriga to right; above, Victory flying left, crowning him with wreath held in right hand.
REF: Crawford 367/5. Sydenham 757
EX. Eternity Coin - eBay (May 2021)
Sulla is a fascinating historical figure who marched on Rome not once, but twice. This coin was minted during Sulla's Civil War, which he won decisively in a battle outside of Rome named the Battle of the Colline Gate. Sulla afterwards set himself up as dictator of the Roman Republic until 79 B.C. His achievements in many ways laid the groundwork for the likes of Julius Caesar, and Sulla should garner much more attention than he does now.
I have this coin listed in both the Roman Republic category as well as on the Roman Imperatorial page, because honestly it straddles both. It has the iconography of a classic Republican denarius with Roma on one side and a chariot on the other, but it's that name of Sulla at the bottom that reminds that this was a time of change.
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