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Crawford 433/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, M. Junius Brutus, AR Denarius
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Rome, The Republic.
M. Junius Brutus, 54 BCE.
AR Denarius (3.79g; 20mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Head of Libertas, facing right, her hair up, wearing necklace of pendants and cruciform earing; LIBERTAS behind.
Reverse: L. Junius Brutus walking left with two lictors and an accensus; BRVTVS in exergue.
References: Crawford 433/1; Sydenham 906; BMCRR 3862; Junia 31.
Provenance: Ex Dr. Michael Phillip Collection [Stack's Bowers 2016 NYINC Auction (12 Jan 2016) Lot 31131]; Stack's Auction, 7-8 Dec 1989, Lot 3233; Frederick S. Knobloch Collection [Stack's (3-4 May 1978), Lot 511].
Struck by chief assassin of Caesar during his early political career. At this time, Brutus was in opposition to Pompey, and it's likely that this coin type is intended to remind the general public of Brutus' pedigree against tyranny. Brutus’ ancestor, Lucius Junius Brutus, overthrew the Etruscan kings of Rome and helped form the Republic, becoming one of the first Consuls in 509 BCE. The reverse of this coin shows Lucius Junius Brutus, as Consul, walking with his attendant lictors and accensus. Liberty on the obverse alludes to the overthrow of the monarchy – a role that the moneyer himself would play 10 years after this coin was struck.
A few words on those men accompanying Brutus on the reverse:
The lictors were attendants who carried fasces and accompanied the consuls at all times. They proceeded before the senior consul and cleared his path and they walked behind the junior consul. They also made arrests, summonses and executions. A consul had twelve lictors.
The accensi were civil servants that also accompanied the magistrates in addition to lictors and acted as heralds. They typically walked behind the magistrate, but an early custom had them precede the consul in the months when the lictors did not walk before him. This appears to be the scene depicted on this coin – the accensus precedes Brutus and one of the lictors is behind him.
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