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(500a) Roman Republic, 119 BC, M. Furius Philius - Furia 18Roman Republic, 119 BC, M. Furius Philius - Furia 18. Crawford 281/1, Sydenham 529; 19mm, 3.23 grams. aVF, Rome; Obverse: laureate head of Janus, M FORVRI L F around; Reverse: Roma standing left erecting trophy, Galic arms around, PHLI in exergue. Ex Ephesus Numismatics.

Gauis Marius
As a novus homo, or new man, Marius found the rise in the Roman cursus honorum ( "course of honours"-- the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic) a daunting challenge. It is certain that he used his old family client contacts and his military relations as a source of support. Among these contacts were the powerful Metelli family, and their early support was to prove to be a disaster for them. Just a few short years after his service as Quaestor, Marius was elected Tribune of the Plebes in 119 BC. In this position so soon after the political turmoil and murder of the Gracchi brothers (Gaius murdered 123 BC), Marius chose to follow the populares path, making a name for himself under similar auspices. As Tribune, he would ensure the animosity of the conservative faction of the Senate, and the Metelli, by passing popular laws forbidding the inspection of ballot boxes. In do doing, he directly opposed the powerful elite, who used ballot inspection as a way to intimidate voters in the citizen assembly elections.

Marius would go on to be elected Consul seven times and figure prominantly in the civil unrest of the early eighties as Lucius Cornelius Sulla's opponent. In 88 BC, Sulla had been elected Consul. There was now a choice before the Senate about which general to send to Asia (a potentially lucrative command): either Marius or Sulla. The Senate chose Sulla, but soon the Assembly appointed Marius. In this unsavory episode of low politics, Marius had been helped by the unscrupulous actions of Publius Sulpicius Rufus, whose debts Marius had promised to erase. Sulla refused to acknowledge the validity of the Assembly's action.

Sulla left Rome and traveled to "his"army waiting in Nola, the army the Senate had asked him to lead to Asia. Sulla urged his legions to defy the Assembly's orders and accept him as their rightful leader. Sulla was successful, and the legions murdered the representatives from the Assembly. Sulla then commanded six legions to march with him opon Rome and institute a civil war.

This was a momentous event, and was unforeseen by Marius, as no Roman army had ever marched upon Rome—it was forbidden by law and ancient tradition.

Sulla was to eventually rule Rome as Dictator. In his book Rubicon, historian Tom Holland argues that Sulla's actions had no lasting negative effect upon the health of the Republic, that Sulla was at heart a Republican. However, once a Roman general has defied Republican tradition, once a Roman general has used his command to combat fellow Romans, once a Roman general has set-up himself as Dictator--it follows that the decision to replicate these decsions (think: Caesar and Rubicon) is that much more easiely taken.

J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.

Cleisthenes

(500a113) Roman Republic, P. Licinius Nerva, 113-112 B.C.ROMAN REPUBLIC: P. Licinius Nerva. AR denarius (3.93 gm). Rome, ca. 113-112 BC. Helmeted bust of Roma left, holding spear over right shoulder and shield on left arm, crescent above, * before, ROMA behind / P. NERVA, voting scene showing two citizens casting their ballots in the Comitium, one receiving a ballot from an attendant, the other dropping his ballot into a vessel at right. Crawford 292/1. RSC Licinia 7. RCTV 169. Nearly very fine. Ex Freeman and Sear.

Here is a denarius whose reverse device is one that celebrates the privilege and responsibility that is the foundation of a democratic society; it is a forerunner to the L. Cassius Longinus denarius of 63 B.C. Granted, humanity had a long road ahead toward egalitarianism when this coin was struck, but isn't it an interesting testimony to civil liberty's heritage? "The voter on the left (reverse) receives his voting tablet from an election officer. Horizontal lines in the background indicate the barrier separating every voting division from the others. Both voters go across narrow raised walks (pontes); this is intended to ensure that the voter is seen to cast his vote without influence" (Meier, Christian. Caesar: A Biography. Berlin: Severin and Siedler, 1982. Plate 12). This significant coin precedes the Longinus denarius by 50 years.

J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
2 commentsCleisthenes

(504c) Roman Republic, L. Cassius Longinus, 63 B.C.Silver denarius, Crawford 413/1, RSC I Cassia 10, SRCV I 364, aVF, struck with worn dies, Rome mint, weight 3.867g, maximum diameter 20.3mm, die axis 0o, c. 63 B.C. Obverse: veiled bust of Vesta left, kylix behind, L before; Reverse: LONGIN III V, voter standing left, dropping tablet inscribed V into a cista.

The reverse of this Longinus denarius captures a fascinating moment when a Roman citizen casts his ballot. "The abbreviation III V [ir] indentifies Longinus as one of the three annually appointed mintmasters (officially called tres viri aere argento auro flando feriundo). A citizen is seen casting his vote into the urn. On the ballot is the letter 'U', short for uti rogas, a conventional formula indicating assent to a motion. The picture alludes to the law, requested by an ancestor of the mintmaster, which introduced the secret ballot in most proceedings of the popular court" (Meier, Christian. Caesar, a Biography. Berlin: Severin and Siedler, 1982. Plate 6).

The date that this denarius was struck possesses unique significance for another reason. Marcus Tullius Cicero (politician, philosopher, orator, humanist) was elected consul for the year 63 BC -- the first man elected consul who had no consular ancestors in more than 30 years. A "new man," Cicero was not the descendant of a "patrician" family, nor was his family wealthy (although Cicero married "well"). Cicero literally made himself the man he was by the power of the words he spoke and the way in which he spoke them. A witness to and major player during the decline of the Roman Republic, Cicero was murdered in 43 BC by thugs working for Marc Antony. But Cicero proved impossible to efface.

Cicero's words became part of the bed rock of later Roman education. As Peter Heather notes, every educated young man in the late Roman Empire studied "a small number of literary texts under the guidance of an expert in language and literary interpretation, the grammarian. This occupied the individual for seven or more years from about the age of eight, and concentrated on just four authors: Vergil, Cicero, Sallust and Terence" (Heather, Peter. The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 17).

Plutarch: Cicero's Death

But in the meantime the assassins were come with a band of soldiers, Herennius, a centurion, and Popillius, a tribune, whom Cicero had formerly defended when prosecuted for the murder of his father. Finding the doors shut, they broke them open, and Cicero not appearing, and those within saying they knew not where he was, it is stated that a youth, who had been educated by Cicero in the liberal arts and sciences, an emancipated slave of his brother Quintus, Philologus by name, informed the tribune that the litter was on its way to the sea through the close and shady walks. The tribune, taking a few with him, ran to the place where he was to come out. And Cicero, perceiving Herennius running in the walks, commanded his servants to set down the litter; and stroking his chin, as he used to do, with his left hand, he looked steadfastly upon his murderers, his person covered with dust, his beard and hair untrimmed, and his face worn with his troubles. So that the greatest part of those that stood by covered their faces whilst Herennius slew him. And thus was he murdered, stretching forth his neck out of the litter, being now in his sixty-fourth year. Herennius cut off his head, and, by Antony's command, his hands also, by which his Philippics were written; for so Cicero styled those orations he wrote against Antony, and so they are called to this day.

When these members of Cicero were brought to Rome, Antony was holding an assembly for the choice of public officers; and when he heard it, and saw them, he cried out, "Now let there be an end of our proscriptions." He commanded his head and hands to be fastened up over the rostra, where the orators spoke; a sight which the Roman people shuddered to behold, and they believed they saw there, not the face of Cicero, but the image of Antony's own soul. And yet amidst these actions he did justice in one thing, by delivering up Philologus to Pomponia, the wife of Quintus; who, having got his body into her power, besides other grievous punishments, made him cut off his own flesh by pieces, and roast and eat it; for so some writers have related. But Tiro, Cicero's emancipated slave, has not so much as mentioned the treachery of Philologus.

Translation by John Dryden: http://intranet.grundel.nl/thinkquest/moord_cicero_plu.html

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.Cleisthenes

0035 - Denarius Cassius 63 BCObv/Head of Vesta l. wearing veil and diadem; on l. dish, on l. control letter.
Rev/Voter l., dropping tablet marked V into cista; on r., LONGIN III V.

Ag, 22.1mm, 3.89g
Moneyer: L.Cassius Longinus.
Mint: Rome.
RRC 413/1 [dies o/r: 94/104] - BMCRR Rome 3931 - RSC Cassia 10 - Syd. 935.
ex-Tkalec, auction 27 apr 2007, lot 1563 commentsdafnis

GREEK, Pamphylia, Aspendos stater with Ba'al countermarkThis BOT entry asks you to consider more than the usual question of coin grade. To match or exceed this 'type' I ask you consider not just the coin but the countermark and its placement. The countermark should have a better strike of the bull and, especially, better clarity of the LUY legend (Aramaic for Ba'al read right to left). Further, I'll expect the flat mark on the opposite side to do less damage to that design than this one. My example suffers from the dotted border falling across the middle of the bull so there is a lot of room for improvement here. Each voter can deside if the off centered reverse is a fault or a benefit since it makes room for the countermark.
This BOT entry is to demonstrate that there are many factors to consider when 'grading an ancient coin. 3 commentsdougsmit

L. Cassius Longinus – Cassia-10ROMAN REPUBLIC, L. Cassius Longinus, 63 B.C. Silver denarius, weight 3.856 g, maximum diameter 19.3 mm, die axis 90o, Rome mint, 63 B.C.; obverse veiled bust of Vesta left, C (control letter) before, kylix behind; reverse LONGIN•III•V (downward on right), voter standing left, dropping tablet (ballot) inscribed V into a cista BMCRE I Rome 3930 (same C control letter), Crawford 413/1; Sydenham 935; RSC I Cassia 10; SRCV 3641 commentsBud Stewart

P. Licinia Nerva (113-112 B.C.)AR Denarius
O: Helmeted bust of Roma left, holding shield and spear over shoulder; crescent above, mark of value to left.
R: Three citizens voting on comitium: one voter receives ballot from attendant below, another voter places ballot in cista; [P] on tablet above bar.
Rome Mint
17mm
3.3g
Crawford 292/1, Sydenham 548; Licinia 71 commentsMat

P. LICINIUS NERVAAR denarius. 113-112 BC. 3,92 grs. 10h. Helmeted head of Roma left,holding spear and shield decorated with horseman. Crescent above ; ROMA behind ; mark of value (XVI in monogram) before / Voting scene in the Comitium. One voter on left of pons receives ballot from attendant below,screen behind . Another voter on right of pons places ballot in cista. Above, P NERVA (NE in monogram). At top of coin, bar on which stands tablet bearing letter P.
Craw 292/1. RSC Licinia 1.
benito

P. Licinius Nerva – Licinia-7ROMAN REPUBLIC AR denarius P. Licinius Nerva. 113-112 BC. (3.78g), Rome. ROMA Helmeted bust of Roma to left, with spear and shield. Rev. P NERVA Voting scene Three citizens voting in the comitium. One voter casts his vote to right, to left another receives his from an attendant. Crawford 292/1, Sydenham 548, RSC 169, Licinia 75 commentsBud Stewart

P. Licinius Nerva.P. Licinius Nerva, denarius.
113-112 BC, Rome.
17 mm 3,76 g.
Obv. Helmeted bust of Roma to left, with spear and shield.
Rev. P NERVA, voting scene, three citizens voting in the comitium. One voter casts his vote to right, to left another receives his from an attendant.
Crawford 292/1, Sydenham 548, RSC 169, Licinia 7.2 commentsMarsman

P. Nerva, Denarius, (113-112 BC.)P. Nerva, Rome, 113-112 BC. AR Denarius (16.5mm, 3.62g, 9h). Helmeted bust of Roma l., holding shield and spear; crescent above. R/ Three citizens voting on comitium: one voter receives ballot from attendant below, another voter places ballot in cista; [P] on tablet above bar. Crawford 292/1; RBW 1125; RSC Licinia 7. VF1 comments

RRC413/1 (L. Cassius Longinus)bv. Anepigraphic, draped vestal virgin facing left, shallow vessel (culullus) behind, control letter (L?) before; punch marks.
Rev. Male togate figure left, left hand on hips, right hand placing a tablet inscribed with V(ti rogas) in a cista. LONGIN(VS) IIIV(ir) ro right.
Rome, 63 B.C. or 52 B.C.
RRC 413/1, Sear 364, RSC Cassia 10

This coin was struck by the brother of the famous Cassius who, with Brutus, was the head of the conspiracy to kill Caesar. L. Cassius rose to proconsul under Caesar, and was Tribune of the People in 44 B.C. He was later reconciled to the triumvirs, however (Appian B.C. 5.7).

On both sides of the coin, the allusion is made to L. Cassius Longinus Ravilla (cos. 127 B.C.; censor 125 B.C.), who was responsible for the condemnation of wayward Vestals, which had previously been acquitted by the Pontifex Maximus (Cassius Dio 26.87, Asconius, Comm. in Pis. 32). The penalty for the Vestals would have been live burial, and for their accomplices, death by flogging.

While he was a tribune of the people (137 B.C.), Cassius Longinus introduced the secret vote for jury trials (following the Lex Gabinia of 139 B.C., which had made the vote at elections secret). This made Cicero (consul the year this coin seems to have been struck) see Ravilla as a traitor to the Boni (Cicero, de leg. 3.35, pro Sest. 48.103). The scene thus shows a voter placing a tablet marked with Vti Rogas ("as you ask", "aye") in the polling box. A "nay" would have been marked "A(ntiquo)".Syltorian

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