DR-415 | Crawford: 362/1
Caius Mamilius Caiusf. Limetanus
Caius Mamilius Caiusf. Limetanus

Gens: Mamilia
Moneyer: Caius Mamilius Caiusf. Limetanus
Date and mint: 82 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Mercury, upright, draped and with caduceus on the shoulder. Dotted border.
Legend:
Symbols: Obverse behind, control letter

Reverse: Ulysses standing on the right holding a staff in his left hand and extending his right to the dog Argus. Dotted border.
Legend: C MAMIL LIMETAN

Comment: The Mamilia gens claimed descent from the Trojan hero Odysseus (Ulysses). Their lineage was of patrician origin, but in republican times, some branches of the family became plebeian. The Mamilia Limetana had several members who held public positions in Rome but none became Consul.

Gaius Mamillius Gaius f. Limetano was moneyer during one of the most unstable periods of the Roman Republic, precisely when it was mired in civil wars between the supporters of Marius and Sulla. The year 82 B.C. It marked the rise of Sulla as dictator and the consolidation of his control over Roma.

On the obverse we have Apollo, the god of light, music, poetry, prophecy and healing. Son of Zeus and Leto, he is one of the most revered Olympian gods, precisely the god who appeared in the most republican denarii. It represents harmony, reason and balance, attributes that link it with the ideal of civilization and order in Romen culture.

On the reverse appears a representation of Ulysses (Odysseus), who held a mythical father figure in the Mamilia family, greeting his dog Argos. This detail from Greek myth reflects the claim of the Mamilia gens to be descendants of the Trojan hero.

This coin was minted during a period of great political and social upheaval. The design of the denarius may be intended to reflect both family pride and a message of stability, with Apollo representing order and Ulysses, cunning and wisdom.

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Tribune of the plebs in 109 BC

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2024)
Price: 3,595 €