Marcus Volteius, silver denarius (Type II), 3.76 g.

Marcus Volteius, silver denarius (Type II), 3.76 g.

Marcus Volteius

c. 78 BCE

Obverse: Head of Hercules wearing lionskin right. Border of dots.

Reverse: Erymanthian boar right; in exergue, [M] VOLTEI [M F]. Border of dots.

Style/Period: Roman Republic

Mommsen determined that with this coin, as with coin C033, Marcus Volteius commemorated public games held during his magistracy, in this case the ludi Plebi. These were games held in November with contests including the palaestra as well as musical contests. The obverse depicts Hercules with his lion skin cap (see coin C028). The Erymanthian boar was the fourth labor of Hercules. The boar was ravaging the lands around Mount Erymanthus. Hercules was told to bring him back alive. He chased the animal from its hiding place into some deep snow and then trapped it with nets.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96

Bibliography: T. Mommsen, Histoire de la monnaie romaine (Paris 1865-1875), II, 467-470, no. 257b; E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Volteia, 2; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 389, no. 3158; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 455; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 127, no. 775; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 399-402, no. 385/2; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 48, no. 153.

Classics Department Collection

C034

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