Rome, the "ad Monetam" Site and Caesar's Denarius
Casa Romana. Above these ancient homes on Capitoline Hill was the Mint of Rome. It was established about 280 B.C.E. near the Temple to Juno Moneta -- "Juno who admonishes."
Silver Denarius, 44 BCE. Obverse: P. Septullius Macer, moneyer. Laureate head right of Caesar.
Reverse: Venus standing left, holding Victory and sceptre on star. [RSC 42]
Q: Is there a connection between the ancient term Juno "Moneta" and the modern word "money?"
A: Yes. The product of this site came to be known by reference to Juno's sub-title, hence, the derivation for the word "money." [Minerva, Jan.-Feb., 1999, p.51]
Q: How close to the time of the assassination was Julius Caesar's coin minted?
A: The coin presented above, hastily executed, has been assigned to the period immediately following Caesar's assassination. [Sear, The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49-27 BC, 1998, p. 75] Also using the Capitoline Mint, in 54 BCE, M. Junius Brutus celebrated the founding of the Republic with his issuing of a coin, reverse presented below-left [Junia, 31a], depicting his reputed great ancestor L. Junius Brutus (shown behind two lictors). First Consul of Rome, L. Junius Brutus expelled the last of the Etruscan Kings in 509 BCE. M. Junius Brutus would, in his rationale for murder, rid Rome of a would-be new King. The Capitoline Mint, which produced all regular issues of Roman Republican coinage, was closed in 40 BCE by Octavian. [Sear, ibid., p. xxi] As Augustus, Octavian issued provincial coinage that associated his authority with the popularity of his great uncle Julius. The coin presented below-right [reverse, RPC 1650, 27 BCE-14 CE], showing Augustus crowned by Caesar -- the very act Brutus dreaded, was minted in Philippi -- the very place where Brutus met his end at the avenging hands of Octavian and Mark Anthony.
My digital synthesis of my relevant museum photos concludes this page with allusions to Brutus (bust of Michelangelo, Bargello Museum, Florence), Caesar (bust in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) and assassination (the quintessential Roman collectors' coin -- the "Eid Mar"). Somewhat out of my price range, the "Eid Mar" is not yet in my collection.
