DR-303 | Crawford: 321/1
Lucius Cassius Caecianus
Lucius Cassius Caecianus

Gens: Caecilia / Casia
Moneyer: Lucius Cassius Caecianus
Date and mint: 102 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Ceres, left, draped. Dotted border.
Legend: CAEICIAN
Symbols: Obverse above, control mark | Reverse above, control mark

Reverse: Team of oxen, left. Dotted border.
Legend: L CASSI

Comment: The Cassia gens was a prominent family at various times in Romen history. Although it did not always belong to the most powerful nucleus of the Republic, several of its members left an important mark:
Spurius Cassius Vecelinus: One of the first consuls of Roma (502, 493 and 486 BC), known for attempting agrarian reforms in favor of the plebeians, which cost him his life accused of wanting to establish a tyranny.
Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravila: Consul in 127 BC. and censor in 125 BC, is remembered for his judicial rigor and for introducing the famous legal question Cui bono? ("Who benefits?").
Gaius Cassius Longinus: Key figure at the end of the Republic, he was one of the main conspirators in the assassination of Julius Caesar (44 BC), defending republican ideals against absolute power.
Quintus Cassius Longinus: Governor of Hispania Ulterior during Caesar's civil war, whose mandate was marked by conflicts and rebellions, although it shows the persistent influence of the family in politics.
We know little about Lucius Cassius Caetianus beyond his role as a moneyer man.

Ceres, goddess of agriculture, embodies the fertility of the land and Roma's ability to feed its people.
The oxen represent the collective effort and the bond between man and the earth. Beyond their role in agriculture, they also have a symbolic connection to the founding of cities and the expansion of Roman power.

Provenance: Bertolami Fine Arts (2018)
Price: 3,200 €