Marcus Herennius, silver denarius, 3.98 g.

Marcus Herennius, silver denarius, 3.98 g.

Marus Herennius

108 - 107 BCE

Obverse: Diademed head of Pietas facing right; to left, PIETAS. Line border.

Reverse: Nude male figure carrying a man on his shoulder, right (one of the Catanian brothers carrying his father); to left, M HERENNI downwards; to right, control mark, D · . Border of dots.

Style/Period: Roman Republic

The reverse of this coin has been described as "pietas in action," referring to the depiction of Pietas on the obverse. The coin type depicts the family devotion of the Catanian brothers as described by Valerius Maximus. One of the brothers, either Amphinomus or Anapias of Catana, is seen carrying away his father on his shoulders from the erupting Mt. Etna. The father looks back in horror at the destruction. The devotion of the brothers to their parents, symbolized by the depiction of Pietas on the obverse, is the primary focus of the coin type. With Marcus Herrenius, the use of control marks developed by adding dots to letters, which now expanded to include most of the alphabet.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96

Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Herennia, 1; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 195-197, no. 1263; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 441; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 77, no. 567a; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 317-318, no. 308/1b; J. P. C. Kent, Roman Coins (New York 1978) pl. 13, no. 38; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 39, no. 118.

Classics Department Collection

C021

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