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Crawford 178/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Lucius Cornelius Cinna, AE As
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Rome, The Republic.
Lucius Cornelius Cinna, 169-158 BCE.
AE As (32.53g).
Rome Mint.
Obv: Laureate, bearded head of Janus.
Rev: Prow facing right; CINA above; [ROMA] below; I (mark-of-value) before.
References: Crawford 178/1; BMCRR 804-6; Sydenham 368; RBW 752 (this coin illustrated); Cornelia 11.
Provenance: Ex Kuenker eLive Auction 46 (25 Jul 2017) Lot 53; ex RBW Collection [NAC 61 (2011), Lot 748]; ex Aes Rude 56 (1994), Lot 150.
Crawford surmises that the moneyer is L. Cornelius Cinna who become consul in 127 BCE. The significant passage of time from his moneyership when this coin was struck and consulship 27 years later is attributed to him being the first in his family to reach the office, and thus he failed to get elected to the intervening, required office at the earliest possible time. These prescribed political offices, their order and timing, are referred to as the "Cursus Honorum." When considered with available prosopographical evidence, the Cursus Honorum is a critical clue for dating and attributing Roman Republican coins.
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