DR-318 | Crawford: 330/1b
Quintus Servilius Caepio / Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus
Quintus Servilius Caepio / Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus

Gens: Calpurnia / Servilia
Moneyer: Quintus Servilius Caepio / Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus
Date and mint: 100 BC - Rome


Obverse: Laureate head of Saturn, right. Dotted border.
Legend: PISO CAEPIO Q
Symbols: Obverse above, control mark | Obverse behind, Harp | Reverse left field, ear of wheat | Reverse right field, ear of wheat

Reverse: Two male figures seated on a bench (subsellium) side by side. Dotted border.
Legend: AD FRV EMV EX S C

Comment: The denarius issued jointly by Quintus Servilius Caepio and Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus was minted in Rome in the year 100 BC. and constitutes one of the most unique emissions in the Republic. The gens Servilia and the gens Calpurnia were among the most important senatorial families, and the presence of both names in the legend underlines the institutional importance of the coinage. Caepio had been consul in 106 BC, although his memory was marked by the defeat of Arausius in 105, while Piso Caesoninus belonged to a branch of great political influence.

The historical context explains the exceptional nature of this series. At a time of great social and political tension, the Senate ordered the issuance of denarii specifically intended for the purchase of grain to ensure the city's supply. The formula on the reverse AD FRV EMV EX S C means “for the purchase of wheat, by decree of the Senate”, and turns this coin into a unique document that explains the purpose of its manufacture.

The obverse shows the laureate head of Saturn looking to the right, with the legend PISO CAEPIO Q. Saturn, god of agriculture, is ideal for an issue dedicated to the provision of grain. The reverse presents two magistrates sitting on a bench (subsellium), directly alluding to the quaestors in charge of executing the senatorial decree and supervising the purchase and distribution of wheat.

There are two main variants, classified as Crawford 330/1a and 330/1b. Both share the same types and inscriptions, but differ in the placement of control marks on the obverse and reverse. These details respond to the large volume of the issue and the need to organize the multiple dies used.

As a whole, these coins stand out not for exalting a specific family, but for transmitting a powerful institutional message: Roma, under the authority of the Senate, guarantees the supply of grain to the people, with the endorsement of first-rank magistrates and with the agricultural divinity as guarantor. It is one of the clearest examples of the social and political function of currency in the Roman Republic.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2024)
Price: 475 €