DR-347 | Crawford: 341/1
Quintus Titius
Quintus Titius

Gens: Titia
Moneyer: Quintus Titius
Date and mint: 90 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bearded head, right, with winged diadem. Line border.
Legend:

Reverse: Pegasus, right; below, in linear frame, inscription. Line border.
Legend: Q TITI

Comment: The Titia gens was a family of plebeian origin that, although less documented than others, achieved a certain notoriety in the last century of the Republic. Quintus Titius, a coiner in 90 BC, issued this denarius in the midst of the social war, a context in which Roma needed large volumes of coinage to finance the war effort and in which moneyer rates were loaded with religious and propaganda meanings.

The obverse shows a bearded head with a winged diadem facing right. Traditionally it has been interpreted as that of the god Janus, although with unusual features, or as a representation of one of the Dioscuri, linked to the heroic world and divine protection in war. Other scholars have associated it with Bellerophon, a Greek hero who tamed Pegasus, in which case the obverse and reverse would form a coherent iconographic set. The winged diadem, in any case, provides a nuance of divinity and superhuman strength.

The reverse features Pegasus advancing to the right, with the legend Q TITI in a linear box. Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, symbolized divine inspiration and quick victory, and was also associated with military triumph in Romen iconography. His election by the moneyer one conveyed a message of glory and supernatural protection at a time of war crisis.

The combination of a heroic or divine head on the obverse and Pegasus on the reverse forms a moneyer type of great visual force, with which Quintus Titius sought to reinforce both the memory of his family and the confidence of the people in Rome's victory during the social war.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2017)
Price: 1,650 €