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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sulla80, post: 3749972, member: 99456&quot;]This weekends auctions didn&#039;t work out well for me - all bids struck out.&nbsp; Fortunately there was consolation in the coin in my mailbox this week.&nbsp; This is a coin, linked with Sulla, that I am glad to add to my RR collection.&nbsp; It is a bit stripped of character by too much cleaning for my taste, but hopefully a few years of exposure will solve that.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1005576[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>M. Nonius Sufenas</b>. Silver Denarius (3.70 g), 57 BC. Rome</p><p><b>Obv: </b>SVFENAS before, S C behind, head of Saturn right; behind, harpa and conical stone</p><p><b>Rev:</b> SEX NONI in exergue, PR L V P F around, Roma seated left on cuirass and shield, holding spear, crowned by Victory standing to left behind her, holding palm</p><p><b>Ref:</b> Crawford 421/1; Sydenham 885; Nonia 1</p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse is Saturn - recognizable from the harpa, associated with Saturn&nbsp; as a god of the harvest, and for the story of his castration of Uranus which led to the birth of Venus.&nbsp; The stone recalling the trick played on him by his wife Rhea, disguising a stone as the infant Jupiter to keep Jupiter from being eaten by his father.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse of this coin provides the evidence that Sextus Nonius, was &quot;<b>PR</b>aetor <b>L</b>udos Victoriae <b>P</b>rimus <b>F</b>ecit&quot; (&quot;Sextus Nonius as praetor first held the games of Victory&quot;).&nbsp; The Ludi Victoriae Sullanae, in 81 BC honored Sulla&#039;s victory at the Colline Gate, Celebrated <a href="http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:136.antiquities" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:136.antiquities" rel="nofollow">October 26th</a> (through November 1?).&nbsp; <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.6" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.6" rel="nofollow">Vitellius</a> writes of this:</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="4">&quot;The siege of Marius in Praeneste was directed by Ofella Lucretius, who had been a general on the Marian side but had deserted to Sulla. Sulla commemorated the great good fortune which fell to him on this day by instituting an annual festival of games held in the circus, which are still celebrated as the games of Sulla&#039;s victory.&quot;</font></p><p><font size="4"><a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.6" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Velleius_Paterculus/2A*.html#27.6" rel="nofollow">-Vitellius Paterculus, Roman History, 2.27.6</a></font></p><p><br /></p><p><b>As always, any additions or correction to the information in this post are appreciated.&nbsp; Post anything that you find interesting or entertaining.</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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