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Coin (reverse), Denarius, of Manius Cordius Rufus

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minted in Rome

Postcard of Coin (reverse), Denarius, of Manius Cordius Rufus.
000-190-000-448-C
© National Museums Scotland

Coin (reverse), Denarius, of Manius Cordius Rufus

This silver coin was minted in Rome by Manius Cordius Rufus in 46 BC. It is a type called a denarius, the most common Roman silver coin. It was a special issue, as indicated by the legend 'S.C' on the obverse. This picture shows the reverse of the coin.

The reverse depicts Cupid, the god of love, on a dolphin. Below him is the legend 'MN.CORDIVS' (the MN joined together), referring to the moneyer, about whom little else is known.

The unsettled times in the 40s BC, when Caesar and Pompey vied for power, created a great drain on the treasury. Caesar enlisted a large number of soldiers, and almost doubled their pay, up to 225 denarii per year.

The Roman currency system included the denarius (plural: denarii), a small silver coin, as the most common coin in circulation. Classical historians regularly say that in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire the daily wage for a laborer was one denarius. The denarius was first struck in 211 BC during the Roman Republic, valued at 10 asses, giving the denarius its name which translates to "containing ten". In 118 BC it was re-tariffed at 16 asses, to reflect the decrease in size of the As. The As was a bronze or copper coin. The denarius continued to be the main coin of the empire until it was replaced by the antoninianus in the middle of the 3rd century AD.


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Online ID: 000-190-000-448-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0098: National Museums Scotland
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.C15347
Date: 46
46 BC
Material: Silver; slight flattening; slight to moderate wear. Inscription: Obv. Diademed head of Venus to right; behind, RVFVS . S . C, downwards / Rev. Cupid on dolphin to right; below, MN . CORDIVS (MN ligated)
Dimensions: 18.00 mm D / Die Axis: 12.0
What: Coin Type: Crawford 463/3
Coin, denarius
Subject: Queen Street Coin Collection
Who: Cupid
Mn. Cordius Rufus (Maker)
Venus
Where: Italy, Rome
Roman Republic
Event:
Description: Silver denarius of Rome, minted by Mn. Cordius Rufus, 46 BC
References:
  • Crawford, M.H. Roman Republican Coinage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976. 
Translations:
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