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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Alegandron, post: 3592876, member: 51347&quot;]Gorgeous coin and write-up!&nbsp; Very very nice, and congrats</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you, [USER=99456]@Sulla80[/USER] . Since you called it out rather than rewrite it, here is what I posted some time ago. This is one of my favorites, for what the coin represents and honors in Human History...</p><p><br /></p><p>Rome had been ruled by Kings traditionally since 753 BCE. However, her last King, after many offenses and excesses at the expense of the Roman people... Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was deposed in 509 BCE. The Monarchy was replaced by a Republic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instrumental in the overthrow of the monarchy, one of the first two Consuls of Rome in 509BCE, was <b>Lucius Junius Brutus</b>. He was consul with Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus and later Publius Valerius Publicola. According to Livy, one of Brutus&#039; first acts as a Consul was to have the Roman citizens swear an oath to never allow a King of Rome. Even when his own two sons were caught in a conspiracy to restore the monarchy, under orders of the Consuls, he stoically witnessed their execution... Tough love...</p><p><br /></p><p>Later, in 439 BCE Republican Rome was gripped in a severe famine; people starving, suffering abounded. Enter Spurius Maelius, a wealthy Plebeian, who saw an opportunity to seize Rome... He purchased a large amount of wheat to distribute - at a low price - to the starving people of Rome. However, his ulterior motive was to foster support to usurp the fledgling Republic and proclaim himself <i>Rex</i> (King). A hated word in Roman vocabulary! The cry of the people arose and Maelius was to appear before the aging Cincinnatus, (the elected <i>Dictator</i> during this crisis.) Enter <b>Gaius Servilius Ahala</b>, <i>Magister Equitum</i> (Master of the Horse). Maelius refused to appear, and was hunted down and killed by Ahala. Ahala then razed his home to the ground and distributed the withheld wheat to the starving people.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast forward to 54 BCE: Long descendant of the two early Republic Heroes, <b>Marcius Junius Brutus</b>, (also known as Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus), new to politics at 31 years old, enters the membership of the <i>vigintisexvirate </i>(the three Moneyers authorized to mint coinage). This was the first step on the <i>cursus honorum</i> - the road to political office in the Republic. Because of his deep-rooted love for the Res Publica, he honors his ancestral heritage by placing the busts of both great family forefathers, Brutus and Ahala, on the obverse and reverse of the denarius issue of 54BCE.</p><p><br /></p><p>You all know the rest of the story as Senator Brutus, who on the <i>Idus Martiae</i>, 15-Mar-44 BCE, delivered the killing blow to the Tyrant Gaius Iulius Caesar, usurper of the Res Publica...</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/upload_2015-9-9_17-23-12-png.438241/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/upload_2015-9-9_17-23-57-png.438243/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>Roman Republic 54 BCE</p><p>AR Denarius, 18.3mm, 3.7g</p><p>Moneyer: Marcus Iunius Brutus (aka Quintus Servillius Caepio Brutus)</p><p>Obv: Bare hd of L. Iunius Brutus (Consul 509 BCE), Bearded r, BRVTVS behind</p><p>Rev: Bare hd of C. Servilius Ahala (Master of the Horse 439 BCE), bearded r, AHALA behind</p><p>Ref: Sear 398, Crawford 433/2, from collection W. Esty CKXSUB 613[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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