Commemorative issue: Victories over Allobroges and Arverni AR denarius 20.5mm, 3.01g. Rome 119 BCE The gens Furia, originally Fusia, was one of the most ancient and noble patrician houses at Rome. Its members held the highest offices of the State during the period of the Roman Republic. The first of the Furii to attain the consulship was Sextus Furius Medullinus in 488 BC. This coin commemorates the victories achieved in 121 BC by Consuls Domitius Ahenobarbus and Q.Fabius Maximus over the Allobroges and the Averni in Gaul. The Roman Conquest of Southern Gaul, 125–121 BC The Romans’ expansion in southern Gaul was intended to help its ally Massilia and open a land route to Roman possessions in Spain. In 121 bc the Allobroges were defeated at Vindalium, and a Gallic confederation was routed on the banks of the Isara. They were then taken under direct Roman control. Unlike the Arverni, who, after the defeat, negotiated a treaty allowing them independence although with their territory severely diminished. RCV I# 156, RSC# 18, RRC# 281/1, CRR# 529
Marcus Furius L.f. Philus Denarius of the Roman Republic Period 119 BC Material: Silver Diameter: 19mm Weight: 3.86g Mint: Rome Reference: Crawford RRC 281/1 Provenance: Ex Dr. Gernot Heinrich Collection Obverse: Laureate head of Janus. Border of dots. The Inscription reads: M FOVRI L F for Marcus Furius Lucius Filius. Reverse: Roma (wearing Corinthian helmet) standing left, holding sceptre in left hand and crowing trophy with right hand; above, star; the trophy is surmounted by a helmet in the form of a boar's head and flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side. Border of dots. The Inscription reads: ROMA PHILI for Roma, Philus. Comments: The moneyer was probably the son of the consul Lucius Furius Philus (136 BC). Furius was a member of the circle around the Scipions, in particular a friend of Scipio Aemilianus. Macrobius names Furius as the author of a work that mentions two sacred formulas to be used against besieged cities, while Cicero praises his oratory style in De re publica. According to Cicero, Furius Philus lived in modest circumstances.
Nice one! A common, but still very interesting issue. Here's mine, with text: Obverse: M·FOVRI·L·F: Laureate head of Janus, around, inscription. Border of dots. Reverse: ROMA: Roma standing left, holding sceptre in left hand and crowing trophy with right hand; above, star; the trophy is surmounted by a helmet in the form of a boar's head and flanked by a carnyx and shield on each side. Border of dots. History Marus Furius Philus was a Roman moneyer, or an individual tasked with minting government approved money during the republic. The gens Furia, originally Fusia, was one of the most ancient and noble patrician houses at Rome. Its members held the highest offices of the State during the period of the Roman Republic. The first of the Furii to attain the consulship was Sextus Furius Medullinus in 488 BC. This coin marks a radical departure from the typical Roman Republican coinage that almost always featured the head of Roma on the obverse. Janus graces the obverse of this coin, and, after this point, it becomes more and more common to put different images on the obverse of Roman coinage. Janus was not foreign to Republican coinage though he typically fronted the Roman as, not the denarius. The reverse has Roma crowning a statue with two shields - celebrating the victory of Domitius Ahenobarbus and Q. Fabius Maximus (Allobrogicus) over the Allobroges and Arveni in Gaul, 121 BCE.
