Marcus Aemilus Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, silver denarius (Series II). 3.93 g.
Title
Marcus Aemilus Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, silver denarius (Series II). 3.93 g.
Creator
Marcus Aemilus Scaurus; Publius Plautius Hypsaeus
Date
c. 58 BCE
Description
Obverse: King Aretus kneeling right, holding olive branch bound with fillet in right hand and bridle of saddled camel in left hand; above, [M] SCAVR AED CVR; to left and right, [E]X S C; in exergue, [REX ARE]TAS. Line border.
Reverse: Jupiter in galloping quadriga left, hurling thunderbolt with right hand and holding reins in left hand; scorpion below horses; above, [P HYPSAEVS] AED CVR; below, C HVPSAE COS PREIVER; to right, [C]APTV upwards. Line border.
Style/Period: Roman Republic
Often in the Roman Republic, senators, victorious generals and other high-ranking officials were given senatorial approval to issue special coins to commemorate their recent successes. These coins were designated EX SC (ex senatus consulto). This special issue commemorates the successes of the magistrates and their ancestors on the same coin. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus were the aediles curules, officials in charge of public works and games, for 58 BCE. These coins were issued to pay for the public games they sponsored. Scaurus had been governor of Syria in 64, and on the obverse he celebrates his capture of the Arabian king Aretus. Hypsaeus's ancestor C. Hypsaeus was responsible for the capture of Privernum in 329 BCE and is honored on the reverse.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Aemilia, 8; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 483-484, no. 3878; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 528; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 152, no. 913; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 446-447, no. 422/1b; C. H. V. Sutherland, Roman Coins (New York 1974) 85, nos. 131-132; J. P. C. Kent, Roman Coins (New York 1978), pl. 17, no. 60; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 55, no. 195; C. Foss, Roman Historical Coins (London 1990) 10, no. 36.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Aemilia, 8; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 483-484, no. 3878; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 528; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 152, no. 913; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 446-447, no. 422/1b; C. H. V. Sutherland, Roman Coins (New York 1974) 85, nos. 131-132; J. P. C. Kent, Roman Coins (New York 1978), pl. 17, no. 60; R. A. G. Carson, Principal Coins of the Romans, I (London 1978) 55, no. 195; C. Foss, Roman Historical Coins (London 1990) 10, no. 36.
Source
Classics Department Collection
Identifier
C036
Rights
Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890
Files
Citation
Marcus Aemilus Scaurus; Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, “Marcus Aemilus Scaurus and Publius Plautius Hypsaeus, silver denarius (Series II). 3.93 g.,” Lawrence University Classics Department & Ottilia Buerger Coin Collections, accessed November 5, 2026, https://thor.lawrence.edu/omeka/buerger/items/show/398.