DR-827 | Crawford: 517/5a
Marcus Antonius / Marcus Cocceius Nerva
Marcus Antonius / Marcus Cocceius Nerva

Gens: Antonia / Cocceia
Moneyer: Marcus Antonius / Marcus Cocceius Nerva
Date and mint: 41 BC - ?


Obverse: Bust of Mark Antony, right. Dotted border.
Legend: M ANT IMP AVG III VIR R P C M NERVA PROQ P

Reverse: head of L. Antonius, right. Dotted border.
Legend: L ANTONIVS COS

Comment: The gens Antonia was a plebeian family that achieved enormous importance in the 1st century BC. thanks to Mark Antony, right-hand man of Julius Caesar and later member of the Second Triumvirate. His brother Lucius Antonius also played an important role, reaching the consulship in 41 BC. For its part, the gens Cocceia produced several jurists and magistrates, one of its most notable members being Marco Coceyo Nerva, grandfather of the future emperor of the same name, who appears in this issue as a moneyer magistrate. Among the different theories, one of the most accepted points out precisely that this M. Coceyo Nerva, coiner of the denarius, was the grandfather of Emperor Nerva, which adds additional historical value to the piece.

The denarius was minted in 41 BC, at a time of great political tension after the victory at Philippi. On the obverse appears the portrait of Mark Antony, presented with his triumviral titles and as Caesar's political heir. On the reverse there is the bust of Lucio Antonio, acting consul that same year. The iconography constituted a clear declaration of family unity: the triumvir leader alongside the legitimate consul, combining military power and institutional authority in support of the Antonian cause.

Regarding the place of issue, the coin is attributed to a field mint in the East, with two main hypotheses: Ephesus and Antioch, both strategic seats of Antonian power after Philippi.

Reality, however, soon refuted this image of harmony. Lucius Antonius and Fulvia, Mark Antony's wife, led the resistance against Octavian in Italy, denouncing the abuses in the distribution of lands to veterans. The dispute led to the Peruvian War (41–40 BC). Lucio entrenched himself in the city, but ended up surrendering, while Fulvia, one of the most prominent female figures in Republican politics, died shortly after in exile. The defeat of Perusia momentarily weakened the prestige of the Antoniana family, although it later allowed a new reconciliation between Antony and Octavian.

This denarius, therefore, is not only a numismatic testimony: it is the propaganda expression of the Antonios' strategy to legitimize their power in Rome, uniting the military prestige of Marcus and the consular magistracy of Lucius, just on the eve of the conflict that would reveal the internal tensions of the Triumvirate.

Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica (2016)
Price: 15,530 €