DR-579 | Crawford: 433/2
Marcus Iunius Brutus
Marcus Iunius Brutus

Gens: Junia
Moneyer: Marcus Iunius Brutus
Date and mint: 54 BC - Rome


Obverse: Bust of L. Junius Brutus, right. Dotted border.
Legend: BRVTVS

Reverse: head of C. Servilius Ahala, right. Dotted border.
Legend: AHALA

Comment: On the obverse we have Lucius Junius Brutus, founder of the Roman Republic and first consul in 509 BC. He was the leader who overthrew the last king, Tarquin the Proud. It represents the republican value and the defense of freedom against tyranny.
On the reverse, Gaius Servilius Ahala, consul and republican hero who, according to tradition, killed the conspirator Spurius Mellius to save the Republic. It symbolizes determined action in defense of the republican order.

The moneyer Marcus Junius Brutus, a descendant of Lucius Junius Brutus, chose both characters as models of civic virtue and opposition to tyranny. The message of the denarius exalts republican ideals and anticipates the political thinking that would later motivate Brutus himself to participate in the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Provenance: Classical Numismatic group (2011)
Price: 19,523 €