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<p>[QUOTE="GinoLR, post: 8079517, member: 128351"][ATTACH=full]1402757[/ATTACH]</p><p>Denarius minted in Rome in 126 BC by the money magistrate Caius Cassius: is it the oldest known allegory of Liberty?</p><p><br /></p><p>C. Cassius, Denarius, Rome, 126 BC; Helmeted head of Roma r.; behind, voting-urn and ✱, Rv. Libertas on quadriga r., holding reins, <i>vindicta </i>and <i>pileus</i>; below, C CASSI; in ex. ROMA. Crawford 266/1; Cassia 1; Sydenham 502.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Rome the gens Cassia, a plebeian family, had a tradition: every Cassius, when in charge as a magistrate, would be a staunch supporter of <i>Libertas</i>, liberty. <i>Libertas</i> was the family's motto. In 137 BC Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla, as a plebeian tribune, proposed a law instating the secret vote, the <i>Lex Cassia Tabellaria</i>. Cicero wrote that it was adopted because "<i>populus libertatem agi putabat suam</i>", the people thought that its liberty was at stake. When a junior member of the family, Caius Cassius, became money triumvir in 126, he chose to commemorate this law on his denarii : an upside-down voting urn on the obverse, and on the reverse Libertas driving a quadriga, holding the <i>vindicta </i>and the <i>pileus</i>, symbols of Liberty. The <i>vindicta </i>was the stick with which the magistrate ritually touched the slave to turn him into a free man, the <i>pileus</i> was the freedmen's hat, symbolizing liberty (I don't know if freedwomen had to wear it too).</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin created the allegory of Liberty, a goddess holding a <i>pileus</i> as if she was going to put it on somebody's head. Under the imperial regime it became a very frequent reverse type on coins, from Claudius (41-54) to Julian of Pannonia (284-285).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1402758[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="2">(not my coins)</font></p><p>Under Diocletian the allegory of Liberty seems to have disappeared from coins and official iconography. It was only revived in the 18th c., for example in 1782 on a medal by Dupré celebrating the American Revolution : Liberty is figured with a <i>vindicta</i> topped by a <i>pileus</i>. Soon afterwards the French Revolution represented the <i>pileus</i> topping a lictor's <i>fasces</i>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1402759[/ATTACH]</p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><p><font size="3"><i>Libertas Americana</i>, Medal by Dupré, 1782; French coin, 1791 (not mine)</font></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>In 1795, the image changed. Liberty was represented not holding, but wearing the pileus on her own head. In America it was still a freedman's pileus, while in France the pileus resembled more a Phrygian cap (an idea of Dupré's probably).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1402760[/ATTACH]</p><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><p><font size="3">Liberty on American and French coins, both of 1795 (not mine)</font></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>In the following decades Liberty in America abandoned the pileus and wore a <i>stephane</i> instead, until Bartholdi in New York made her radiate like Helios... In France Liberty kept her Phrygian cap and in the late 19th c. there was a semantic shift and she was interpreted as the allegory of the Republic, what she is today. She even got a name: Marianne.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="GinoLR, post: 8079517, member: 128351"][ATTACH=full]1402757[/ATTACH] Denarius minted in Rome in 126 BC by the money magistrate Caius Cassius: is it the oldest known allegory of Liberty? C. Cassius, Denarius, Rome, 126 BC; Helmeted head of Roma r.; behind, voting-urn and ✱, Rv. Libertas on quadriga r., holding reins, [I]vindicta [/I]and [I]pileus[/I]; below, C CASSI; in ex. ROMA. Crawford 266/1; Cassia 1; Sydenham 502. In Rome the gens Cassia, a plebeian family, had a tradition: every Cassius, when in charge as a magistrate, would be a staunch supporter of [I]Libertas[/I], liberty. [I]Libertas[/I] was the family's motto. In 137 BC Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla, as a plebeian tribune, proposed a law instating the secret vote, the [I]Lex Cassia Tabellaria[/I]. Cicero wrote that it was adopted because "[I]populus libertatem agi putabat suam[/I]", the people thought that its liberty was at stake. When a junior member of the family, Caius Cassius, became money triumvir in 126, he chose to commemorate this law on his denarii : an upside-down voting urn on the obverse, and on the reverse Libertas driving a quadriga, holding the [I]vindicta [/I]and the [I]pileus[/I], symbols of Liberty. The [I]vindicta [/I]was the stick with which the magistrate ritually touched the slave to turn him into a free man, the [I]pileus[/I] was the freedmen's hat, symbolizing liberty (I don't know if freedwomen had to wear it too). This coin created the allegory of Liberty, a goddess holding a [I]pileus[/I] as if she was going to put it on somebody's head. Under the imperial regime it became a very frequent reverse type on coins, from Claudius (41-54) to Julian of Pannonia (284-285). [ATTACH=full]1402758[/ATTACH] [SIZE=2](not my coins)[/SIZE] Under Diocletian the allegory of Liberty seems to have disappeared from coins and official iconography. It was only revived in the 18th c., for example in 1782 on a medal by Dupré celebrating the American Revolution : Liberty is figured with a [I]vindicta[/I] topped by a [I]pileus[/I]. Soon afterwards the French Revolution represented the [I]pileus[/I] topping a lictor's [I]fasces[/I]. [ATTACH=full]1402759[/ATTACH] [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][SIZE=3][I]Libertas Americana[/I], Medal by Dupré, 1782; French coin, 1791 (not mine)[/SIZE][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] In 1795, the image changed. Liberty was represented not holding, but wearing the pileus on her own head. In America it was still a freedman's pileus, while in France the pileus resembled more a Phrygian cap (an idea of Dupré's probably). [ATTACH=full]1402760[/ATTACH] [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][SIZE=3]Liberty on American and French coins, both of 1795 (not mine)[/SIZE][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] In the following decades Liberty in America abandoned the pileus and wore a [I]stephane[/I] instead, until Bartholdi in New York made her radiate like Helios... In France Liberty kept her Phrygian cap and in the late 19th c. there was a semantic shift and she was interpreted as the allegory of the Republic, what she is today. She even got a name: Marianne.[/QUOTE]
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