DR-312 | Crawford: 328/1
Publius Servilius Rullus
Publius Servilius Rullus

Gens: Servilia
Moneyer: Publius Servilius Rullus
Date and mint: 100 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Minerva, left, with Corinthian helmet and aegis. Dotted border.
Legend: RVLLI
Symbols: Reverse below, Q

Reverse: Victoria in biga, right, holding palm branch in left and reins in right. Dotted border.
Legend: P SERVILI M F

Comment: The denarius of Publius Servilius Rulus was minted in Rome in the year 100 BC. and belongs to the Servilia gens, one of the families with the greatest presence in the political life of the Republic. This gens produced numerous magistrates and consuls, and cultivated a family propaganda focused on military valor and service to the State. The author of this coin is Publius Servilius Rulus, father of the tribune of the plebs of the same name who, in the year 63 BC, tried to promote a controversial agrarian law during the consulship of Cicero.

From the moneyer we know that he served as moneyer magistrate in 100 BC. and that his family maintained a continuous presence in Romen politics, with different members involved in the struggle between optimates and populars in the first half of the 1st century BC.

The year 100 B.C. It was a turbulent period in Rome, marked by the political confrontations of Lucius Apuleius Saturninus and Gaius Servilius Glaucia, and by street violence that ended with the death of both. It was also a year in which Mario, after his sixth consulate, further consolidated his figure as a strong man of the Republic, in the midst of an environment full of social and political tension.

On the obverse Minerva appears looking to the left, with a Corinthian helmet and aegis, accompanied by the inscription RVLLI. The choice of the goddess of wisdom and military strategy emphasizes prudence, protection and courage in combat. On the reverse, Victoria is represented leading a biga on the right, holding a palm in her left hand and the reins in her right, with the legend P SERVILI M F. The set combines the prudence and strength of Minerva with the triumph of Victoria, projecting on the Servilia family an image of intelligence, strategy and military glory, virtues that in such a conflictive year were especially timely.

Provenance: Bertolami Fine Arts (2018)
Price: 1,255 €