DR-348 | Crawford: 341/2
Quintus Titius
Quintus Titius

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


Obverse: Liber's head, right, with an ivy crown. Line border.
Legend:

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

Comment: The Titia gens, of plebeian origin, was not one of the most influential in the Republic, but at the end of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 1st century BC. Some of its members achieved some relevance, among them Quintus Titius, moneyer magistrate in 90 BC. His series was broadcast within the framework of the social war, a time of maximum instability that required strong moneyer production to cover the costs of the conflict.

The obverse features the head of Liber (Roman equivalent of Dionysus), crowned with ivy. Liber was the god of wine, fertility and inspiration, also associated with individual freedom and cyclical renewal, values very present in the Roman imagination. Its presence on the coin could be interpreted as a nod to vitality and the hope of regeneration in times of war.

The reverse shows Pegasus advancing to the right, with the legend Q TITI in a linear box. The winged horse is a symbol of divine inspiration, associated with both the hero Bellerophon and sacred fountains and quick and brilliant victory. The fact that Pegasus appears in all variants of this series shows that he was the central motif of Quintus Titius's propaganda.

Altogether, the type combines the renewing force of Liber with the inspiring power of Pegasus, offering a message of inevitable victory under the protection of divine forces. Compared to the other variant of the same coin (Crawford 341/1), which shows a bearded head with a winged diadem, this issue highlights a more religious and festive aspect, while the previous one evoked a more heroic or mythical reading. Both share the same reverse, which indicates a coherent iconographic program with variants on the obverse to reinforce family and state propaganda in the midst of the crisis.

Provenance: Roma Numismatics (2022)
Price: 1,140 €