L PHILIPPUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS MARCIA

Picked this up about a week ago. It's very nice in hand, with a nice weight to it for a denarius of it's time:

L PHILIPPUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS MARCIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Head of Philip V of Macedon right, wearing diademed royal Macedonian helmet with goat horns; monogram of Roma behind, F below chin
REVERSE: L. PHILIPPVS on tablet below statue of equestrian, carrying laurel-branch; flower below horse; mark of value in exergue
Rome 113-112 BC
3.8g, 20mm
Crawford 293/1; Sydenham 551

From Wikipedia:
Lucius Marcius Philippus (c. 141–c. 73 BCE) was a Roman orator and one of the most important politicians of the late Roman Republic. His strenuous opposition to the reforms of Marcus Livius Drusus during his consulate of 91 BCE, in defense of the "collusionist policy" of the governing class with the publicani chiefs, was instrumental to the outbreak of the disastrous bellum Italicum, the Social War. This should have made him a natural Marian during the violent politics and civil wars of the 80s BCE, and he did well under the Marian government, holding high office. But he was more of an individualist and survivor than committed to any cause, and took advantage of the political amnesty offered by Sulla in 83 BCE to change sides. He had backed the winner and enjoyed a special eminence in the first decade after the civil wars as one of the few surviving men of consular rank, and Rome's pre-eminent orator since the death of Marcus Antonius Orator (late 87 BCE). Following Sulla's death (78 BCE) he played a key role in the suppression of the Lepidan rebellion (78–77 BCE).

Philippus was one of the most distinguished orators of his time. His reputation continued even to the Augustan age, whence we read in Horace:

Strenuus et fortis causisque Philippus agendis Clarus.

Cicero says that Philippus was decidedly inferior as an orator to his two great contemporaries Crassus and Antonius, but was without question next to them. In speaking he possessed much freedom and wit; he was fertile in invention, and clear in the development of his ideas; and in altercation he was witty and sarcastic.

Philippus was a man of luxurious habits, which his wealth enabled him to gratify: his fish-ponds were particularly celebrated for their magnificence and extent, and are mentioned by the ancients along with those of Lucullus and Hortensius.

 

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"...he was fertile in invention, and clear in the development of his ideas; and in altercation he was witty and sarcastic"

I'll put him on my dinner party guest list

 

A charming coin with beautiful details. Phillippus sounds like the consummate politician, but I would have liked to see his fish ponds!

 

Interesting coin. I really like this piece. The style of the horse and the the unusual bust make the coin interesting. It deviates from the age old bust of Roma. Awesome piece.

 

You seem to have been on quite a new acquisition tear recently, Bing... I'm starting to get pretty envious! Love the newp... curious and cool for this moneyer to have the portrait of a Macedonian monarch on his coin. I wonder what his colleagues thought about his choice.

 

This could describe a few of us here on CT.

 

Very nice, indeed!!! I haven't really thought about or realized that some of these earlier denarii had 'foreign' monarchs on them ...Way interesting!!!
[QUOTE="... curious and cool for this moneyer to have the portrait of a Macedonian monarch on his coin. I wonder what his colleagues thought about his choice

 

I could see a whole sub collect of these. Simply denari with non-Roma busts. A Greek, a Gaul, etc.

 

howdy Bing,

nice addition, congrads

eric

 

Great new addition!

And ive been the opposite. Losing worse then the Lakers.

 

i was immediately curious about that same thing. why the choice of rome's old frienemy philip v? interesting!

it's a cool coin bing, why ever they picked philp, the bust is certainly cool...and the knight reverse is sweet as well!

i give it 4 beavers!

 

Hmmm, I thought it rated at least 5 TURTLES!!!!

 

=

i think turtles are currently valued at 0.8 beavers.




here's a roman republican i haven't posted for while, hope it's ok if i "pile on".

 

Sweet coin jw, anyone with fish ponds is my kind of guy, fish on! awesome newp!

 

I'll bet I've bid on a hundred coins just to win one and I do not think that's an exaggeration.

I think I read somewhere that it was a play on the family name.

 

Awesome lookin' addition, Big-bro (super-coin) ... wow, you have fantastic taste in coins!!

=> I have an example as well ...



L. Marcius Philippus, AR (Silver) Denarius
113-112 BC
Struck 113-112 BC. ROME MINT
Diameter: 19mm
Weight: 3.91grams
Obverse: Head of King Philip V of Macedon right wearing a diademed helmet ornamented with goat's horns, Φ below chin, ROMA (in monogram) behind
Reverse: Equestrian statue right on tablet inscribed L PHILIPPVS, the horseman carrying laurel branch, flower at horse's feet, X (XVI in monogram) below
Reference: Crawford 293/1, Sydenham 551, RSC I Marcia 12

 

I'd forgotten about your coin. Excellent.

 

I like your Φ (below chin) ... my Φ is off-flan

=> hey, maybe JA can paint a purple Φ for me?

 

Lets mate our two and see what we get.

 

=> Heinz-57 BC