POSTHUMOUS PORTRAITS ON THE ROMAN "FAMILY COINS."

Such portraits were the immediate precursors of contem. porary ones. It has been seen that as the true republican spirit decayed, many powerful families placed the portraits of remote ancestors upon coins struck under their influence. The Marcian family placed the portrait of the king Ancus Marcius on their coins. C. Memmius, just before the time of Augustus, placed the portrait of Romulus on his coins, which by old collectors were considered coins struck by Romulus himself. The Titurean family place the head of their ancestor Tatius, the chief of the Sabines, on their coins. The Cornelian family place the heads of Scipio Africanus and Scipio Asiaticus on their coins. That of the latter has been sometimes described as the head of Mars, but erroneously.*

Portraits of more immediate ancestors soon appeared; the portrait of Sulla was placed upon the public coinage by his grandson; and at last the portrait of the living Cæsar was, by decree of the Senate, placed upon the public coin, after his assumption of the dictatorship. This was soon followed by portraits of Pompey Coin of Cneus Pompey, on coins struck by his sons, of which the following is a specimen:

with Portrait of his Father.

Portions of the " as were also struck by the sons of Pompey, some of which have the bifrontal head of Janus with the features of Pompey on one profile and that of his son, Sextus, on the other.

COTEMPORARY PORTRAITS ON COINS OF THE ROMAN

REPUBLIC.

In the year 46 B.C., when Cæsar had, by the signal defeat of the sons of Pompey, in Spain, extinguished the last sparks of opposition to his assumption of the supreme power, the Senate received him on his return to Rome with the most

It occurs on a c in of C. Blasionus.

coinage, at the weight at which they found it c that period; and then it was depreciated in valu farthings from the Solonian Attic standard, sponded to nearly ninepence three farthings while the Roman denarius was equal, at its f to about eightpence-halfpenny.

denarius

The term " (den-æris) denotes the new silver piece as being that of ten br the numeral X behind the head of Pallas denotes this value.

The first denarii minted at Rome I believ with the head of Pallas or Roma and the r on the reverse the Dioscuri galloping, and benes word ROMA, without any other name; thos names of successive officers of the mint, or personages, belong to a later period. Thos described types are the most rare, and st the quinarius, or half-denarius, and the sester. densrius, of the same types. The quinarius rical Vas being of the value of five ases, an S. II. The term "sestertius" is an abbrevi, tertius" a Roman method of expressing meaning two and half of the third: the nun two and the "S" six or half.

Varro mentions still smaller sub-divisions the Joel half the sestertius; the sembelle, and the fernes laf the sembella-the Ardle more than a grain and a half in weigh Cero the Del goes to have beca i Socce have doute. ax i cirukin these suder coins hgether, and sup elüber erper portions of the denarius, de avvic i wang minute pro Grones us sees ta vies Vare

it is the lets hua that the w part of a jedar is

muutuse siver ærvus Å the deman

ong strictly to the republican series, and form, with Brutus, Antony, and Octavianus, a link between those of the empire; but they may very properly at the head of those of the imperial series, an that he already contemplated the establishment of y, and had adopted his grand-nephew, Octavianus, w to establish an hereditary succession, which, but timely assassination, would doubtless have been o effect without the sanguinary contest which folmany of the heterogeneous characters of the conf the Roman empire would have been presented. and Cassius, the two leaders in the conspiracy e life of Cæsar, both struck coins: those of with the portrait of the issuer, with the inRVTVS IMP(erator) on the obverse, and the cap nd two daggers, with EID. MART. for Idus Martii,

ins exist both in gold and silver, and no doubt be entertained as to their authenticity, though hey were considered by some to be modern forgeany others connected with this interesting period, probably, issued by Brutus shortly after the death The first has a head of Lucius Brutus, with the BRVTVS, and on the reverse a head of Ahala, A. The second bears on one side the head of utus, with M. BRVTVS IMP COSTA LEG, and on head of Lucius Brutus, with a garland of oakhe third has a female head, representing Liberty, word LIBERTAS, and on the reverse, a consul wo lictors, preceded by the Accensus, with the

hree coins relate, without doubt, to the Brutus, assassins of Cæsar, who afterwards perished at

servile marks of adulation and subjection. It was decreed that he should on all public occasions wear the "triumphal robe," that he should receive the title of Parens Patriæthat statues of him should be placed in all the templesthat the month Quintilus* should receive his name, Julius -that he was to be raised to a certain rank among the gods-and, finally, that his portrait should be placed upon the national money of Rome; and he was at the same time declared Perpetual Dictator. The coin engraved below is a silver denarius, on which the portrait thus decreed to him by the Roman senate appears, with the inscription CAESAR DICTATOR PERPETVO (perpetual dictator). The reverse

bears for type various emblems of peace, indicating the termination of the civil war and his reconciliation with the Senate. These symbols consist of the caduceus of Mercury and of the fasces, which, when without the axe, was considered an emblem of peace. These symbols are placed beneath a globe, denoting that the peace was universal. The clasped hands denote his friendship with the Senate, and the axe-like instrument his pontifical rank. L. BVCA is the name of the triumvir † of the mint, by whom the con was struck.

There are coins of nearly the same type, in gold, which are, however, more rare. Other examples have Parens Patriæ. Cæsar's coins, struck before the decree relative to his portrait, have symbols somewhat similar to those of the family coins, but with inscriptions relative to himself and relating to his consulships, dictatorships, with imperator and other titles conferred upon him. All these coins of Julius

Or the fifth, beginning from March, anciently the first month in the Roman calendar. See Chapter on Roman mint, &c. Several other names of officers of the mint, occur on the coins of C.

Cæsar belong strictly to the republican series, and form, with those of Brutus, Antony, and Octavianus, a link between them and those of the empire; but they may very properly be placed at the head of those of the imperial series, as it is clear that he already contemplated the establishment of a monarchy, and had adopted his grand-nephew, Octavianus, with a view to establish an hereditary succession, which, but for his untimely assassination, would doubtless have been carried into effect without the sanguinary contest which followed, and many of the heterogeneous characters of the constitution of the Roman empire would have been presented.

Brutus and Cassius, the two leaders in the conspiracy against the life of Cæsar, both struck coins: those of the former with the portrait of the issuer, with the inscription BRVTVS IMP(erator) on the obverse, and the cap of liberty and two daggers, with EID. MART. for Idus Martii, on the reverse.

These coins exist both in gold and silver, and no doubt appears to be entertained as to their authenticity, though formerly they were considered by some to be modern forgeries, like many others connected with this interesting period, also, most probably, issued by Brutus shortly after the death of Cæsar. The first has a head of Lucius Brutus, with the inscription BRVTVS, and on the reverse a head of Ahala, with AHALA. The second bears on one side the head of Marcus Brutus, with M. BRVTVS. IMP. COSTA LEG, and on the other a head of Lucius Brutus, with a garland of oakleaves. The third has a female head, representing Liberty, with the word LIBERTAS, and on the reverse, a consul between two lictors, preceded by the Accensus, with the inscription BRVTVS.

These three coins relate, without doubt, to the Brutus, one of the assassins of Cæsar, who afterwards perished at