Summary
Denarius, Issued by Ancient Roman Republic, 91-88 BC
Social War issue of the Italian allies of the Marsic confederation, Marsi, Peligni, Piceni, Vestini, Samnites, Frentani, Marrucini, and Lucani.
Mint not recorded
Obverse Description
Laureate head of Italia facing left; behind the Oscan legend "Italia'; border of dots
Reverse Description
Helmeted soldier standing facing, looking to the right; he holds an inverted spear in his right hand; at right, recumbent bull; border of dots
Edge Description
Plain
Significance
'the obverse shows a laureate female head, wearing a single-drop earring and single strand necklace. This jewellery designates the figure as female, making impossible M Crawford's identification of her as Apollo ... By developing a unique patroness for the league and differentiating her strongly from Roma, the Italians made a clear statement of their separate identity. An examination of the Italian coinage indicates that they valued their league as more than an ad hoc military alliance, formed opportunistically to fight Rome. Rather, producing the coins and using the personified Italia suggest they believed that they had forged a new and enduring collective identity. ' Tweedie, p. 67.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 15 Mar 1976
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Date Issued
90 BC
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Issued By
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Denomination
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Material
Silver
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Axis
12
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Dimensions
19 mm (Outside Diameter), 3.884 g (Weight)
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Shape
Off round
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References
[Article] Tweedie, Fiona C. 2007. Coinage of the Social War. Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. 67-73., 67-73 Pages