Marcus Marcius Manii Filius, silver denarius, 4.01 g.

Marcus Marcius Manii Filius, silver denarius, 4.01 g.

Marcus Marcius Manii Filius

134 BCE

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma facing right; behind, modius; below chin, star. Border of dots.

Reverse: Victory in biga to right, holding reins in left hand and whip in right hand; below, M MRC C ROMA, divided by two corn-ears. Border of dots.

Style/Period: Roman Republic

When the mint magistrates, the triumviri monetales, chose the images for their coins, they were very aware that the images would reflect upon themselves and their families, and they often exploited the opportunity to advance themselves. In the late second century BCE, magistrates began to display images or portraits on their coins that would associate themselves and their ancestors with great figures from Roman history (see coin C008). The magistrate here is referring to his ancestor Mn. Marcius, who was the first to distribute corn to the people at the value of one modius (a measure of grain) per as (Pliny, Natural History xviii.3.15: "aedilis plebis primum frumentum populo in modios assibus datavit). The coin has the usual images for the denarius, Roma on the obverse and Victory on the reverse, but the magistrate has also placed a modius on the obverse to refer to the important reform of his ancestor.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96

Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Marcia, 8; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 149, no. 1008; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 445; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 61, no. 500; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974), 277, no. 245/1.

C009

Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890