DR-267 | Crawford: 301/1
Publius Porcius Laeca
Publius Porcius Laeca

Gens: Porcia
Moneyer: Publius Porcius Laeca
Date and mint: 110 BC/109 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Roma with helmet, right. Dotted border.
Legend: ROMA P LAECA
Symbols: Obverse before, x

Reverse: Figure in military dress, left, with right hand raised; On the left, a figure in a toga, gesturing with his right hand; On the right, assistant with a staff in his right hand and two staffs in his left hand. Dotted border.
Legend: PROVOCO

Comment: The Porcia gens was a plebeian family that achieved great prestige in the Republic thanks to highly relevant figures, among them Cato the Elder, an example of austerity and discipline, and his great-grandson Cato the Younger, famous for his firm opposition to Caesar. The Laeca cognomen belongs to a minor branch of the gens, less known, although with members active in political life.

The moneyer man Publio Porcio Laeca is known for this issue, without further information being preserved about his subsequent career. His surname is significant, since another Porcio Laeca appears mentioned in the sources as one of those involved in Catiline's conspiracy in the year 63 BC, although it cannot be certain that it is the same character.

The coin was minted in Rome in the years 110–109 BC, at a time when the Republic was embroiled in war against Jugurtha, king of Numidia. This conflict, which would reveal the corruption and inefficiency of the Roman military commanders, coincided with internal political tensions derived from the social reforms of the Gracchi and the growing power of the plebs in the elections.

The coin's message is especially revealing. The obverse shows Roma wearing a helmet, a symbol of the city's strength. The reverse, however, is unique within Republican numismatics: a scene appears with three figures, where a citizen in a toga gestures before a magistrate in a military suit who raises his hand, while an assistant carries some rods (fasces). The inscription PROVOCO refers to the right of provocatio ad populum, that is, the appeal of a Roman citizen to the people against a capital sentence imposed by a magistrate. We interpret this image as a clear vindication of citizen freedoms, placing the Porcia gens as defenders of the rights of the plebs. It is no coincidence that the Porcians had promoted in the 3rd century BC. the Lex Porcia, which reinforced precisely this fundamental right. The coin, therefore, connects family tradition with a political message of great force in Rome at the end of the second century BC.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2017)
Price: 1,560 €