minted in Rome
This silver coin was minted in Rome by Lucius Mussidius Longus, son of Titus, in 42 BC. It is a type called a denarius, the most common Roman silver coin. This picture shows the reverse of the coin.
The reverse depicts the shrine of Venus, the goddess of beauty and fertility, in her guise as Venus Cloacina (identified by the legend 'CLOACIN' on the shrine). The legend 'L.MVSSIDIVS [. LONGVS]' refers to the moneyer, about whom nothing else is known.
Most coins of the Roman Republic were issued by officials called moneyers. They may have been elected, perhaps annually. From the 2nd century BC there appear to have been three moneyers each year, and Caesar later increased the number to four.
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