Lucius Mussidius Titi Filius Longus, silver denarius, 3.96 g.
Title
Lucius Mussidius Titi Filius Longus, silver denarius, 3.96 g.
Creator
Lucius Mussidius Titi Filius Longus
Date
42 BCE
Description
Obverse: Veiled head of Concordia right; behind, CONCORDIA upwards; below chin, star. Border of dots.
Reverse: Shrine to Venus Cloacina, ornamented with a trellis-pattern balustrade; on it are two statues of Venus Cloacina, the one on the left holding flower in left hand; on the platform to right, low column surmounted by an ornament; to left of platform, flight of steps and portico inscribed CLOACIN; above, L MVSSIDIVS LONGVS. Border of dots.
Style/Period: Roman Republic
The star on the obverse symbolizes the belief in the immanence of a new age, perhaps reinforcing the image of Concordia, the personification of harmony and peace. The reverse depicts a shrine to Venus "the cleanser," continuing the idea of a new age cleansed by Venus herself. In 42 BCE, the assassins of Julius Caesar had been defeated at the battle of Philippi, and the Republic was under the rule of Octavian, Marcus Antonius, and Lepidus. Perhaps Mussisius is commemorating the establishment of a new age of peace with this coin. The use of Venus would coincide with the use of Venus by both Julius Caesar and Octavian to commemorate their victories.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Mussidia, 6; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 577, no. 4244; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 447; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 181, no. 1093a; C. C. von Essen, "Venus Cloacina," Mnemosyne 9 (1956) 137; T. P. Wiseman, "Some Roman Senators and Their Tribes," The Classical Quarterly 14 (1964) 127; E. Nash, Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Rome (London 1968), I, 262, s. v. Cloacina, Sacrum; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 502-511, no. 494/42b.
-- Bradford W. Wendel, LU '96
Bibliography: E. Babelon, Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la republique romaine (Paris and London 1885-1886) Mussidia, 6; H. A. Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (London 1910), I, 577, no. 4244; T. R. S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, II (New York 1952) 447; E. A. Sydenham, The Coinage of the Roman Republic (London 1952) 181, no. 1093a; C. C. von Essen, "Venus Cloacina," Mnemosyne 9 (1956) 137; T. P. Wiseman, "Some Roman Senators and Their Tribes," The Classical Quarterly 14 (1964) 127; E. Nash, Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Rome (London 1968), I, 262, s. v. Cloacina, Sacrum; M. H. Crawford, Roman Republican Coinage (London 1974) 502-511, no. 494/42b.
Source
Classics Department Collection
Identifier
C047
Rights
Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890
Files
Citation
Lucius Mussidius Titi Filius Longus, “Lucius Mussidius Titi Filius Longus, silver denarius, 3.96 g.,” Lawrence University Classics Department & Ottilia Buerger Coin Collections, accessed November 5, 2026, https://thor.lawrence.edu/omeka/buerger/items/show/409.