The "Ides of March" denarius commemorates one of the most famous events in history – the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Struck by the tyrannicide Brutus in late summer/early autumn 42 BC, it bears the portrait of Brutus himself along with (just visible across the top) the words BRUT IMP, or "Brutus the general" – particularly apposite, as Brutus and the other conspirators were at the time readying themselves for a battle against Caesar's supporters and heirs (the Battle of Philippi, which would take place later that year in October 42 BC). The reverse bears the striking inscription EID MAR – Eidibus Martiis, or the Ides of March, commemorating the date of Caesar's death – beneath the pileus, the cap of liberty given to freed slaves, symbolising the new liberty of the Republic, and two daggers, standing for the two principal conspirators, Brutus and Cassius. Only around eighty examples of this coin survive, as they were later recalled by the victorious Mark Antony and Octavian after Brutus and Cassius' defeat at the Battle of Philippi.
1 Comment
Eva
9/16/2022 05:14:17 am
I have a coin for this emperor, and it is a rare coin that has no equal. The first party is this emperor, and from the back there is a picture of a chariot pulled by snakes. I want to help and evaluate the coin. Thank you.
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AuthorEmily Hauser is a classicist and researcher at Harvard and author of historical fiction recovering the lost women of the ancient world, including FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL and FOR THE WINNER. Archives
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