35
Historic Denarius of Marcus Lepidus
3051
M. Aemilius Lepidus. Silver Denarius (3.73 g), 58 BC.
Rome. ALEXANDREA below, diademed head of Alexandria right, wearing mu-
ral crown.
Reverse:
M LEPIDVS in exergue, TVTOR REG on left, PO(NT) MAX in right, S C above, M. Lepidus, togate, standing facing,
head left, crowning the young figure of Ptolemy V, standing facing, holding scepter. Crawford 419/2; Sydenham 831; Aemilia 23.
Very
rare.
Boldly struck from well executed dies, fine style and delicately toned.
Extremely Fine.
This interesting coin records an alleged guardianship that the moneyer’s ancestor, Marcus Lepidus, held over the young Ptol-
emaic king, Ptolemy V. It may simply be that no record of the event has come down to us or - more plausibly - that the sto-
ry is an invention of the later Lepidi, but neither Polybius nor Livy make any mention of it. What is known is that after the Sec-
ond Punic War ended, the moneyer’s ancestor served as a member of an embassy of the senators, two of whom were
ex-consuls, sent in 201 BC to Antiochos III and Ptolemy V to gain their support should war develop between Rome and Mace-
don. At one point during their journey, Lepidus was sent to deliver an ultimatum to Philip ordering him to cease and desist from
attacking his Greek neighbors,and above all else return the possessions of Ptolemy. The embassy occurred twenty years be-
fore Lepidus ever became Pontifex Maximus, and in fact he was not even praetor at the time, so it seems quite unlikely that
such a junior member of an embassy which included two ex-consuls should find himself as guardian of the Ptolemaic king.
Estimated Value.............................................................................................................................................................................. $4,000 - 5,000
3052
M. Aemilius Scaurus and Pub. Plautius Hypsaeus. Silver Denarius (3.98 g), 58 BC.
Rome.
[M SC]AVR / [AE] D CVR in two lines above, [EX] S C across field, [REX] ARETAS in ex-
ergue, the Nabatean king Aretas kneeling to right, extending olive-branch and holding reins,
before camel standing right.
Reverse:
P HVPSAE / AED CVR in two lines above, [CAPTV]
to right, C HVPSAE CO [S / PREIVE] in two lines in exergue, Jupiter driving quadriga left;
below horses’ forelegs, scorpion. Crawford 422/1b; Sydenham 913; Aemilia 8. Well struck
and perfectly centered. Attractive iridescent tone.
Superb Extremely Fine.
During the first century, it was normal for a moneyer to highlight some important
event from his family’s past. This was because for the Roman aristocracy an illustrious
past was extremely important for advancing one’s political career. Here, however,
M. Aemilius has deviated from the norm, depicting an event from his own career, the
first such instance in Roman coinage. While serving as Governor of Syria, Scaurus in-
vaded Nabataea, laying waste much of its territory. Although he was unable to con-
quer king Aretas’ stronghold, through an intermediary he was able to convince Aretas
to pay a substantial bribe (300 talents) for him to desist. As the event is presented on
the coin one would think that the Nabataeans were soundly defeated and that Aretas
begged for mercy, but this is mere propagandistic opportunism on the part of Scaurus.
Unlike the obverse, the reverse follows tradition by commemorat-
ing a past deed of the moneyer, recalling that it was his ancestor, the con-
sul Gaius Hypsaeus, who captured the Volscian town of Privernum.
Estimated Value.................................................................................................... $600 - 700
Ex Elsen 106 (11 September 2010), 304.
