DR-304 | Crawford: 322/1a
Caius Fabius Caiusf. Quintusn. Hadrianus
Caius Fabius Caiusf. Quintusn. Hadrianus

Gens: Fabia
Moneyer: Caius Fabius Caiusf. Quintusn. Hadrianus
Date and mint: 102 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Cybele, right, with turreted crown and veil. Dotted border.
Legend:
Symbols: Obverse behind, control mark | Reverse below, Bird

Reverse: Victoria in biga, right, reins in left hand and whip in right. Dotted border.
Legend: C FABI C F

Comment: The denarius of Gaius Fabius Hadrian was minted in Rome in the year 102 BC. He belongs to the Fabia gens, one of the oldest and most numerous families of the Republic, which since the early days of Roma provided consuls, generals and magistrates. Among its most prominent members are Marcus Fabius Ambustus, consul several times in the 4th century BC, and Quintus Fabius Maximus, nicknamed Cunctator, famous for his strategy against Hannibal in the Second Punic War. The family remained active throughout the Republic, and in later times became related to the Julios and the Clodios.

The moneyer man, Gaius Fabius Hadrian, son of Gaius and grandson of Quintus, had a political career that reached greater prominence in the following generation. He was praetor in 84 BC. and governor of Africa in 83 and 82 BC, during the turbulent period of the civil war between the supporters of Marius and Sulla. His career shows that he belonged to a lineage with enough political weight to occupy positions of responsibility at decisive moments.

The year 102 B.C. It coincided with the preparation of Marius' great victory against the Cimbri and Teutons. After the triumph of Aquae Sextiae in 102 and the imminent battle of Vercelas in 101, Roma began to overcome the open crisis with the defeat of Arausius. Coin propaganda in this context tended to exalt divine protection and military victory.

The obverse shows the bust of Cybele with a towered crown and veil, symbol of the mother goddess and protector of cities. Its image refers both to the security of Roma and to the idea of fertility and continuity. The reverse represents Victoria in a biga advancing to the right, with reins in her left hand and a whip in the right, accompanied by the legend C FABI C F. The association between the Mother of the gods and Victoria projects a message of divine protection and military triumph, in tune with the war situation that Roma was experiencing and with the moneyer ambition of linking its name to the victory and prosperity of the State.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2024)
Price: 720 €