Roman Republic Coin. Denarius of L. Furius Brocchus. 63 BC.
Production date
063 BCE
Country
Italy
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Object detail
Description
Obv: Head of Ceres r.; on I., corn-ear; on r., barley-grain; on either side, III VIR; below, BROCCHI. Border of dots / Rev: Curule chair; on either side, fasces; above, L·FVRI CN·F. Border of dots (RRC 414/1)
Classification
NUMISMATICS (COINS AND TOKENS) Ancient Roman Coins
Production date
063 BCE
Production place
Measurements
19mm (diameter)
1.5mm (thickness)
3gm (weight)
1.5mm (thickness)
3gm (weight)
Media/Materials description
silver
Signature/Marks
L·FVRI CN·F
BROCCHI
III VIR
BROCCHI
III VIR
History and use
This denarius was minted by Roman moneyer Lucius Furius Brocchus, a member of the noble patrician Furii Brocchi. The obverse depicts the goddess of agriculture Ceres, with the legend III VIR (triumvir monetales); the barley grain and corn ear representing the Cura Annonae (“care of Annona”) [personification of the grain supply]. The reverse features a curule chair with fasces on the sides, a reference to one of Lucius’ ancestors who was a curule aedile (responsible for the distribution of grain).
History is contained in the designs and the imagery on coins were used as an opportunity to send messages concerning power, ideology, commemoration, and to bestow honour. Yet, more than that, coins are also dynamic items of material culture. They are small, portable and durable, and have been used for millennia to enable the transaction of goods and services. Coins are also part of everyday life, and unlike other items of material culture, tend not to have one owner; indeed, each coin has been passed through multiple people’s hands through time.
History is contained in the designs and the imagery on coins were used as an opportunity to send messages concerning power, ideology, commemoration, and to bestow honour. Yet, more than that, coins are also dynamic items of material culture. They are small, portable and durable, and have been used for millennia to enable the transaction of goods and services. Coins are also part of everyday life, and unlike other items of material culture, tend not to have one owner; indeed, each coin has been passed through multiple people’s hands through time.
Registration number
N2379
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