DR-788 | Crawford: 500/1
Caius Cassius Longinus / Marcus Iunius Brutus / Cornelius Lentulus Spinther
Caius Cassius Longinus / Marcus Iunius Brutus / Cornelius Lentulus Spinther

Gens: Casia / Junia / Cornelia
Moneyer: Caius Cassius Longinus / Marcus Iunius Brutus / Cornelius Lentulus Spinther
Date and mint: 43 BC/42 BC - ?


Obverse: Tripod with cauldron, decorated with two laurel branches. Dotted border.
Legend: C CASSI IMP

Reverse: Jug and lituo. Dotted border.
Legend: LENTVLVS / SPINT

Comment: The Casia gens was a plebeian family with ancient roots, although little documented in the final centuries of the Republic. Its most famous member was Gaius Cassius Longinus, Pompey's general in Pharsalia and one of the main conspirators in the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC. The Junia gens, on the other hand, was one of the most influential in Rome, and from it came Marcus Junius Brutus, also the protagonist of the plot against Caesar and a symbol of republicanism. The Cornelia gens, with a long aristocratic tradition, was represented in this issue by Cornelio Lentulo Espinter, a supporter of the Senate and ally of the Caesaricides.

This denarius reflects the propaganda of Caesar's assassins during the war against the triumvirs. The obverse depicts a tripod with a cauldron and laurel branches, an emblem of the cult of Apollo and the purification rites, alluding to the religious legitimacy of his cause. On the reverse, a jug and an augural lituo evoke the instruments of the priests of Roma, symbols of tradition and augural authority. Both sides convey the idea that the war was not a factional rebellion, but a just fight, protected by the gods, to restore the res publica.

The inclusion of Lentulus Espinter's name in the legend underlines that this was not an isolated action by Cassius and Brutus, but rather a common front of magistrates and senatorial leaders. In this way, the coin offered a forceful political message: the Caesaricides presented themselves as defenders of the legitimate Republic, supported by both traditional religion and the alliance of the great senatorial houses of Roma.

Provenance: Maison Palombo (2020)
Price: 6,970 €