DR-410 | Crawford: 360/1a
Publius Crepusius / Caius Mamilius Limetanus / Lucius Marcius Censorinus
Publius Crepusius / Caius Mamilius Limetanus / Lucius Marcius Censorinus

Gens: Crepusia / Mamilia / Marcia
Moneyer: Publius Crepusius / Caius Mamilius Limetanus / Lucius Marcius Censorinus
Date and mint: 82 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Venus, right, draped and diademed and veiled. Dotted border.
Legend: L CENSORIN
Symbols: Reverse above, control mark

Reverse: enus in biga, right, holding reins in right hand and goad in left hand. dotted border
Legend: P CREPVS / C LIMETAN oP CREPVSI / C LIMETA

Comment: The issue is unique because three moneyer magistrates appear in it: Publius Crepusius, from the modest gens Crepusia; Gaius Mamillius Limethanus, member of the Mamilia gens, a plebeian family of mythical origin that claimed descent from Mamillius of Tusculum, son-in-law of King Tarquinius the Proud; and Lucio Marcio Censorino, from the influential Marcia gens, traditionally linked to King Anco Marcio and with a long political career in the Republic. The union of three different families in the same broadcast is a reflection of the complex political situation of the moment.

The year 82 B.C. He was decisive in the civil war that pitted the followers of Sulla against the supporters of Marius and Cinna. Roma was mired in violence, and that same year Sulla entered the city victoriously, initiating the cruel proscriptions. The currency, minted in Rome, is part of that turbulent situation in which issues served both to finance armies and to legitimize political factions.

The obverse shows the bust of Venus, veiled, diademed and draped, with the legend L CENSORIN, which alludes to Lucio Marcio Censorino. The choice of Venus is not coincidental: she was a protective divinity who began to be linked with important lineages, especially with the Julii, but also with other magistrates who sought her protection in times of war.

On the reverse, Venus appears again, this time leading a biga to the right, carrying the reins and a goad. The legend refers to the other two coins: P CREPVSI / C LIMETAN.

The message of the coin is clear: in the midst of the civil war, the protection of Venus was sought as a guarantor of victory and prosperity. The triple authorship reinforces the legitimacy of the broadcast, since it not only represented an individual, but several families who united their names in a time of great uncertainty. This issue is a good example of how, in the years of crisis, republican coins became propaganda vehicles that transmitted unity, divine protection and hope for triumph.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2024)
Price: 1,540 €