Series: Republican deities – Libertas
Reference: Crawford 433/1

Gens and moneyer: Junia / Marcus Junius Brutus
Year and mint: 54 BC - Rome
Obverse: Bust of Libertas, right. Border of dots. LIBERTAS
Reverse: Lucius Junius Brutus walking left between two lictors carrying fasces and preceded by an accensus. Border of dots. BRVTVS

Grade: EF-/VF+ 3.98 g - 7h
Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica 2026

Comment:
The gens Junia was an ancient Roman family, initially patrician and later plebeian, which claimed descent from Lucius Junius Brutus, one of the founders of the Republic. This tradition made the defence of liberty and opposition to monarchy a fundamental part of the family’s identity.

Marcus Junius Brutus served as moneyer in 54 BC, when he was still using the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, adopted after his incorporation into the family of the Servilii Caepiones. Ten years later, he would take part in the assassination of Julius Caesar, convinced that he was acting in defence of the Republic against the power of a single man.

The denarius was minted during the final years of the First Triumvirate, the alliance between Caesar, Pompey and Crassus. Rome was experiencing a period of growing political tension and violence, while the concentration of power in the hands of a few threatened the balance of the Republican institutions.

The obverse depicts Libertas, the Roman personification of liberty and one of the Republic’s fundamental values. Her image was associated particularly with the freedom of citizens from tyranny and absolute power.

The reverse shows Lucius Junius Brutus walking between two lictors and preceded by an accensus. According to tradition, he had expelled Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, and founded the Republic in 509 BC. The pairing of Libertas and Lucius Junius Brutus makes the coin a clear celebration of liberty and Republican traditions. Its meaning is particularly compelling from a historical perspective: ten years after minting this denarius, Marcus Junius Brutus would take part in the assassination of Julius Caesar, invoking the same ideals he had represented on this coin.