Collection Item – Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities

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Coin, Silver Denarius Serratus, Rome.; 81 BCE; 180.96.16

From:UC Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities

Name/TitleCoin, Silver Denarius Serratus, Rome.

About this objectThe Denarius was the standard of Roman silver coins, and was initially specified to have a weight of 70.5 grains or 4.57 grams. This coin, manufactured a hundred years after the introduction of its type, weighs slightly less, which became increasingly common for coins later in the Empire.

On the front of this coin is the head of the goddess Diana facing to the right, with a quiver and bow on her shoulder. Diana was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She was known to be a protector of the lower classes, especially slaves. The skull and horn of an ox (called a bucranium) can be seen in the field above her.

The back (reverse) depicts a priest in a toga facing to the left with his right hand raised as he sprinkles water over a sacrificial ox. A small lighted altar is between them. The inscription around the scene, A. POST. A. F. S. N. ALBIN, refers to the moneyer Aulus Postumius Albinus.

Maker RoleMoneyer

Date Made81 BCE

PeriodRepublican

Place MadeItaly, Rome

Place NotesRome mint

Medium and MaterialsMetal: Silver

Style and IconographyRoman

Inscription and MarksReverse: A POST A F - S N ALBIN

TechniqueStriking (metalworking)

MeasurementsWeight: 3.88g
Diameter: 20mm
Depth: 2.5mm

Subject and Association KeywordsArt and religion

Subject and Association KeywordsGoddesses in art

Subject and Association KeywordsInscriptions, Latin

Subject and Association KeywordsNumismatics

Named CollectionThe James Logie Memorial Collection, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Credit LineDonated by M. K. Steven, 1996.

Object TypeExchange Media

Object number180.96.16