DR-301 | Crawford: 319/1
Quintus Minucius Thermus
Quintus Minucius Thermus

Gens: Minucia
Moneyer: Quintus Minucius Thermus
Date and mint: 103 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Mars, left, helmet with long crest and feather on each side. Dotted border.
Legend:

Reverse: Roman soldier fighting a barbarian soldier in protection of a fallen comrade. Dotted border.
Legend: Q THERM MF

Comment: The Minucia gens was a plebeian family with some notable figures in the history of Roma. A notable ancestor was Quintus Minucius Thermus, consul and governor of Liguria in the years 193-190 BC, known for his military confrontations against the Ligurians and criticized by Marcus Porcius Cato, who accused him of exaggerating the number of defeated enemies in his official reports.

From the coiner who minted this denarius in 103 BC. Not many details are known about his political career; his moneyer issue could be related to the desire to highlight the military value of his lineage.

In 103 BC, Roma was in the middle of the Cimbrian War, facing the invasion of Germanic tribes in northern Italy. Gaius Marius's military reforms were beginning to change the Roman army, which would be instrumental in future victories against the Cimbri. The Republic was experiencing a time of great political and military instability, which would profoundly impact the power structure in Rome.

The obverse shows the bust of Mars, the god of war, a symbol of Roman military power, and its representation reflects the warlike spirit that prevailed in Rome during the Cimbrian and Ligurian wars.

On the reverse, a Roman soldier fights a barbarian, protecting a fallen comrade. This scene symbolizes the bravery and loyalty of Roman soldiers, evoking the campaigns of Thermos in Liguria, where he defended his troops in adverse situations. Furthermore, some suggest that the choice of this image could be related to Cato's criticism of an ancestor of the gens, accused of exaggerating the number of defeated enemies.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2024)
Price: 1,130 €