Description
| Roman Republic. L. Iulius Bursio. Denarius, 85 BC, Rome mint. | |
| Obverse: | Draped male bust with laurel wreath and wings right, behind trident and headdress of Isis. |
| Reverse: | Victory, holding a wreath in her right hand and reins in her left hand, riding a quadriga right, above control mark, in exergue L IVLI BVRSIO. |
| Dimensions: | AR, 4.20 g, 20 mm, 7h. |
| References: | Crawford 352/1c; Sydenham 728b; BMCRR Rome 2582 var. |
| Condition: | Struck on a broad flan, beautifully toned, reverse slightly off center. Almost extremely fine. |
| Provenance: | From a private German Collection, acquired at Künker 312 (2018), 2662. |
| Comment: | A fascinating depiction is shown on the obverse of this coin: The head combines the attributes of Apollo (laurel wreath and hairstyle), Mercury (wings) and Neptun (trident). In addition to that, the control mark refers to the Egyptian god Isis. The head is sometimes referred to the Roman god Veiovis, in fact this theory is highly controversial. The name Veiovis can be translated as „harmful Jupiter“ or „youthful Jupiter“ – the depiction on this coin rather resembles Apollo and is probably more likely connected to his meaning.
The moneyer |
