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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Valentinian, post: 6362001, member: 44316&quot;][USER=72790]@kevin McGonigal[/USER] , that is a wonderful writeup. Thank you.</p><p><br /></p><p>My page</p><p><a href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Repub/TimelineTable.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Repub/TimelineTable.html" rel="nofollow">http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Repub/TimelineTable.html</a></p><p>on how Roman Republican coins are dated has this about this Republican type that references a datable current event--a law about buying grain.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1251873[/ATTACH]</p><p>100 BC. PISO CAEPIO Q</p><p>AD FRV EMV</p><p>EX SC, ear of grain</p><p>Obverse: head of Saturn with harpa behind</p><p><br /></p><p>Cr 330/1. Sear 210. Syd 603. BMC 1125. Carson 121. Calpurnia 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Head of Saturn right, harpa behind, PISO CAEPIO. Q / two figures seated, grain-ear to left, AD FRV[mentum] EMV[undum] &quot;For buying grain&quot; EX SC.</p><p>This is an&nbsp; unusual case where the reference of the type can be determined precisely. BMC says &quot;L. Saturninus proposed his <i>lex frumentaria de semissibus et trientibus</i> by which the state let the people buy corn at a semis and a triens (i.e 5/6 of an as) for a modius. This occurred during the second tribuneship of Saturninus in BC 100 and we have, therefore, the precise date of the issue of these coins&quot; [p.I. 170]. Sutherland agrees&nbsp; &quot;They had to produce a special and senatorially authorized coinage in order to implement a new law enabling the people to buy cheap corn&quot; [<i>Roman Coins</i>, p. 70.] There are many references to grain on Republican coins and grain shortages were not uncommon. So, we use additional information to pin down this coin to a particular date. The obverse of Saturn with his attribute the harpa makes the reference to Saturninus. The remaining question is if the type might have been issued somewhat after the event (which the dates above [<a href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Repub/TimelineTable.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/Repub/TimelineTable.html" rel="nofollow">on that page</a>] show some scholars thought) rather than the year of the event. The Sutherland quote seems to suggest he thought the state issued coins for buying grain, as opposed to merely using coins to remind the users of the generosity of the state and Saturninus in particular. In that case, they would have been issued in the year of the event, which Crawford selected.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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