DR-533 | Crawford: 414/1
Lucius Furius Brocchus
Lucius Furius Brocchus

Gens: Furia
Moneyer: Lucius Furius Brocchus
Date and mint: 63 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of Ceres, right; Ear of wheat on the left. Dotted border.
Legend: III VIR BROCCHI

Reverse: Curul Chair; fasces on each side. Dotted border.
Legend: L FVRI / CN F

Comment: The Furia gens is one of the oldest and most prestigious families of the Roman Republic, with patrician origins. Its members held important positions throughout Roman history, including several consuls. The Furia gens were proud of their lineage and their contribution to Romen politics and military.

L. Furius Brocchus was the moneyer man responsible for the issuance of this denarius in the year 63 BC. Although there is not much information about his political career, his participation in the minting of coins indicates that he belonged to the republican elite.

The year 63 B.C. It was a crucial period in Romen history. That same year, Cicero, as consul, dismantled Catiline's conspiracy, an attempted coup against the republican government. Roma was dealing with growing political tension, the rise of ambitious generals like Pompey and Caesar, and an economic crisis affecting the lower classes. This denarius was minted in the midst of this context of instability and internal conflict.

The obverse features a veiled head of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture and fertility. Ceres is a symbol of the prosperity of the Republic and its relationship with the land. The portrait of Ceres highlights the importance of agriculture as the basis of the Roman economy.

The reverse depicts a curule chair flanked by fasces on both sides. The curule chair was a ceremonial seat used by magistrates with imperium power, such as consuls and praetors, while the fasces represented judicial authority and the power to punish. This set symbolizes the power and authority of the Roman magistrates, reaffirming the importance of law and order in the Republic.

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The author of this denarius is unknown in history. However, it is very likely that he had an ancestor who was a plebeian aedile due to the theme on the back. The Broccius, despite being Furius, Patrician family, were commoners. There is a story told by Pliny that happened to an ancestor of this purse and it could be that the axes were related to them. Furius Cheresimus had been accused of poisoning his neighbors' crops so that his own would be more profitable. When the trial arrived, he appeared in the company of his children and his tools as an argument that this was what his crops had that his neighbors' did not have.

Provenance: Heritage Auctions (2023)
Price: 6,785 €