DR-408 | Crawford: 358/1
Iuventius Laterensis
Iuventius Laterensis

Gens: Juventia
Moneyer: Iuventius Laterensis
Date and mint: 83 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Jupiter, right. Laurel wreath border.
Legend: S C
Symbols: Obverse below, b

Reverse: Achiever on chariot, left, holding palm branch on right and trophy and reins on left. Laurel wreath border
Legend: LATERENS

Comment: The Juventia gens was a plebeian family of Etruscan origin, settled in Rome since the 3rd century BC. His name appears linked to minor magistracies, but he did not achieve a prominent role in the great politics of the Republic. The cognomen Laterensis probably comes from the locality of Laternus, in Etruria, reflecting the territorial link of the family.

The moneyer man Juventio Laterensis minted this denarius in the year 83 BC, at a critical moment in republican history. That year, Sulla returned from the East after defeating Mithridates and prepared to regain power in Rome by force. The city was dominated by the Marianists, in a climate of armed confrontations and great uncertainty. The moneyer issues reflect this tension well, resorting to iconography of victory and senatorial legitimacy.

The obverse shows the bust of Jupiter, surrounded by a laurel wreath, with the inscription S C (“senatus consulto”), an indication of an extraordinary issue approved by the Senate. A small control mark, the letter B, appears under the bust.

The reverse depicts a victor on a chariot facing left, holding a palm branch in one hand and a trophy along with reins in the other. The scene is also framed by a laurel wreath, a symbol of victory, and bears the legend LATERENS, which identifies the coin.

The message of this coin is clearly understood: the Senate legitimizes the issue (S C), under the protection of Jupiter, and the military victory is exalted through the image of triumph. For a year like 83 BC, when the fate of the Republic was being decided in civil war, the denarius of Laterensis proclaimed that senatorial authority and the favor of the gods guaranteed the triumph of Roma over its internal and external enemies.

Provenance: Gabinete de Münz de Berlín ()
Price: €