DR-310 | Crawford: 326/1
Caius Fundanius
Caius Fundanius

Gens: Fundania
Moneyer: Caius Fundanius
Date and mint: 101 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Roma with helmet, right. Dotted border.
Legend:
Symbols: Obverse behind, control mark

Reverse: Triumphant on chariot, right, holding a laurel branch in his left hand and a staff in his right; near the horse, rider holding a laurel branch. Dotted border.
Legend: Q C FVNDAN

Comment: The denarius of Gaius Fundanio was minted in Rome in the year 101 BC. and belongs to the gens Fundania, a family of great antiquity in Rome but little documented. It is known that at least one of its members reached the consulate, which shows that, although not numerous or very influential, the family reached the highest positions.

The author of this denarius served as quaestor in the same year 101 BC, a key moment in the military history of Roma due to the victory of Gaius Marius over the Cimbri in the battle of Vercella. This triumph was celebrated in Rome with parades and honors, reinforcing the figure of Marius as savior of the Republic and marking a turning point in Romen politics.

The obverse presents the bust of Roma with a helmet on the right, a traditional image that refers to the authority of the city and the civic identity of the Republic. The reverse is more striking: a victor on a chariot holds a laurel branch in his left hand and a staff in his right, accompanied by a rider who also carries a laurel branch. The legend Q C FVNDAN identifies the magistrate. The type alludes to the celebration of military triumph, with the symbols of the laurel that consecrate the victory. This design fits perfectly with the immediate context of Marius's triumph, although it can also be interpreted as a general affirmation of the military glory of Roma in which the coiner wanted to link his name.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2016)
Price: 675 €