DR-403 | Crawford: 356/1b
Publius Furius Crassipes
Publius Furius Crassipes

Gens: Furia
Moneyer: Publius Furius Crassipes
Date and mint: 84 BC - Rome


Obverse: Head of Cybele, right, with turreted crown. Dotted border.
Legend: AED CVR
Symbols: Obverse behind, Deformed foot, upwards

Reverse: Curul chair with inscription, dotted edge.
Legend: P FOVRIVS CRASSVPES

Comment: The Furia gens was one of the oldest families in Rome, with patrician roots dating back to the first centuries of the Republic. Among its most notable members is Marcus Furius Camillus, hero of the defense of Roma against the Gauls in the 4th century BC, venerated almost as a “second founder” of the city. This heritage of military glory and public service gave the family prestige even in late Republican Roma.

The moneyer man Publius Furius Crassipes issued this coin in the year 84 BC, when he held the position of curule aedile, indicated in the legend on the obverse (AED CVR). His cognomen Crassipes literally means “thick foot” or “deformed foot,” a detail alluded to by the small symbol that accompanies the bust: a foot represented as a mark of control and visual play with his name.

The obverse presents the head of Cybele, a goddess of oriental origin, recognizable by the turreted crown that symbolizes the protection of cities.

On the reverse appears a curule chair, emblem of the Roman magistracy, with the inscription that identifies the magistrate: P FOVRIVS CRASSVPES.

The message of this coin is twofold: on the one hand, to highlight the dignity of the position of curule councilor held by the coin; on the other, to offer Roma the protection of Cybele, the goddess who guards its walls. Taken together, this coinage reflects both the personal propaganda of Crassipes and the reminder that, in a year of great instability after the death of Cinna and with Sulla still fighting in the East, Roma needed the guardianship of its gods and the firmness of its magistrates to maintain order.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2012)
Price: 1,000 €