Lucius Manlius Torquatus, silver denarius, 3.87 g.

Lucius Manlius Torquatus, silver denarius, 3.87 g.

Lucius Manlius Torquatus

113 - 112 BCE

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right; [to left, ROMA]; under chin, star; torque as border.

Reverse: Warrior galloping left, with helmet, spear and shield; above, Q; below, [L] TORQVA. Border of dots.

Style/Period: Roman Republic

This coin comemorates the achievements of the ancestor of Lucius Manlius Torquatus, T. Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus. He received the surname Torquatus when he defeated a Gaul (described as a "giant" in surviving accounts) in single combat and captured his gold torque or collar in 361 BCE. The torque is shown on the obverse. The same ancestor served as dictator in 353 and 349 as well as consul in 344 and 330. The Q on the reverse could indicate that Lucius Manlius Torquatus minted this coin while serving as a quaestor. It was not uncommon for quaestors to dictate to triumviri monetales the types for coins.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96

Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Manlia, 2; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), II, 270, no. 518; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 71, no. 545; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 308, no. 295/1; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 38, no. 111.

Classics Department Collection

C018

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