In 82 BC, a ''denarius'' was minted by Lucius Marcius Censorinus picturing

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

and Marsyas the satyr. The coin has attracted several interpretations because of the

ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning (linguistics), meaning in which a phrase, statement, or resolution is not explicitly defined, making for several interpretations; others describe it as a concept or statement that has no real reference. A com ...

of its

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

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Coin description

On the obverse of this coin is a representation of the god Apollo, portrayed as a young man wearing a

diadem A diadem is a Crown (headgear), crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of Monarch, royalty. Overview The word derives from the Ancient Greek, Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", fro ...

. On the reverse of the coin is an image of the

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

Marsyas, nude, carrying a wineskin. He is wearing a

Phrygian cap The Phrygian cap ( ), also known as Thracian cap and liberty cap, is a soft Pointed hat, conical Hat, cap with the apex bent over, associated in Classical antiquity, antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, and Asia. The Phry ...

, and has a pedestal standing beside him, holding a statue, which some think is a statue of

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

. Along the side is the inscription ''L. Censor.'' The image of Marsyas may be copied from a statue in the

Roman Forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

at this time, as implied by the

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

in the field of the coin. The coin is silver and weighs roughly 3.95 grams.

Symbolism

The Marcius gens

The symbolism may refer to the

moneyer A moneyer is a private individual who is officially permitted to mint money. Usually the rights to coin money are bestowed as a concession by a state or government. Moneyers have a long tradition, dating back at least to ancient Greece. They bec ...

’s family line, the gens Marcia, who claimed legendary descent from Marsyas.Babelon, Ernest ''Description Historique et Chronologique des Monnaiees de la Republique Romaine Vulgairement Appelees Monnaies Consulaires''. Arnaldo Forni, Bologna 1963, pg. 194-195 An ancestor claimed to have experienced a vision which led to the founding of games in tribute to Apollo. The brother of Lucius, Gaius Marcius Censorinus, minted a coin with the image of Apollo.

Political climate

Another view of the symbolism in this coin is that it is politically driven. Apollo was seen as a symbol of harmony, especially in his manifestation at Rome.Luce, T.J. ''Political Propaganda on Roman Republican Coins: Circa 92-82 B.C.'' American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 72, No. 1 (Jan., 1968) pp. 25-39, pg 32-33 During this time, Rome was experiencing a period of political upheaval, connected to the Social Wars. Marsyas was regarded as a symbol of political freedom, particularly free speech. On the coin,

Marsyas In Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas (; ) is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double oboe (''aulos'') that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged Apollo to a contest of ...

is wearing a

, a symbol of liberty. L. Marcius Censorinus was a supporter of Marian or Cinnan politics, which advanced the cause of

Roman citizenship Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...

for

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

during the Social Wars. Gaius Marcius Censorinus was captured at the Battle of the Colline Gate and beheaded by an order of

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

, the champion of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

's traditional privileges. Many other supporters of Marian politics used images of Apollo on their coins, often in conjunction with images of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

and a god who is known as a young

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

Warding off plague?

The image of Apollo on the coin may refer to the plague of 87 BC. Censorinus may have been invoking the god in his capacity as a healer and protector.Luce, T.J. ''Political Propaganda on Roman Republican Coins: Circa 92-82 B.C.'' American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 72, No. 1 (Jan., 1968) pp. 25-39, pg. 33

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denarius Of L. Censorinus Coins of ancient Rome Moneyers of ancient Rome 82 BC