DR-456 | Crawford: 380/1
Caius Publicius
Caius Publicius

Gens: Poblicia
Moneyer: Caius Publicius
Date and mint: 80 BC - Rome


Obverse: Helmet Bust of Roma, right, draped. Dotted border.
Legend: ROMA
Symbols: Obverse above, control mark | Reverse above, control mark

Reverse: Hercules strangling the Nemean lion; at his feet, a club; To the left, bow and quiver. Dotted border.
Legend: C POBLICI Q F

Comment: The Poblicia gens was a Roman family of plebeian origin that, although not as prominent as other gens of the time, participated in the political and military life of Roma. Among its most prominent members is Gaius Publicius, the moneyer man responsible for the issuance of this denarius.

Gaius Publicius, whose full name includes the cognomen "Q. F." (indicates that he was the son of Quintus), was an active moneyer in the year 80 BC. There are not many details about his political career beyond his work as a moneyer magistrate.

Historical context (80 BC): The year 80 BC. It developed in a context of recovery and reorganization after Sulla's civil war. Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who had proclaimed himself perpetual dictator, was consolidating his reforms and control over Roma. It was a time of political tension, with the senate strengthened and popular institutions weakened by Sulla's reforms. The coins of this period reflected both the power of Roma and the exaltation of heroic and mythological figures that inspired unity and strength.

The reverse depicts Hercules, one of the most famous heroes of Greek and Roman mythology, in the act of strangling the Nemean lion, one of his famous twelve labors. This scene symbolizes strength, courage and victory over adversity. At his feet, the club, and to the left the bow and quiver, complete the heroic iconography, alluding to the weapons of Hercules and his exploits.
Hercules and the Nemean lion are part of the twelve tasks that the hero had to perform as penance. The lion was an imposing beast with a skin invulnerable to weapons, which terrorized the Nemean region. Hercules, in an act of bravery and superhuman strength, strangled him to death and, using his own claws, tore his skin into a cloak that made him virtually invulnerable. This feat symbolizes the triumph of ingenuity and strength over insurmountable challenges.

Provenance: Roma Numismatics (2017)
Price: 2,726 €