Crawford 277/1 SOLD

Moneyer: Quintus Minucius Rufus, 122 BC

Denomination: Denarius

Obverse: Head of Roma to right, wearing winged helmet; below chin, X (mark of value)

Reverse: The Dioscuri riding on horseback to rught; Q•MINV 

Mint: Rome

Reference: Crawford 277/1

Weight: 

Provenance: ex Bartosz Awianowicz collection 

Notes: Beautiful, dark old cabinet tone with much iridescence!

Castor and Pollux are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri. Their mother was Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus, who raped Leda in the guise of a swan. Both Dioscuri were excellent horsemen and hunters who participated in the hunting of the Calydonian Boar. The Romans believed that the twins aided them on the battlefield. Their role as horsemen made them particularly attractive to the Roman equites and cavalry. Each year on July 15, Feast Day of the Dioskouroi, 1,800 equestrians would parade through the streets of Rome in an elaborate spectacle in which each rider wore full military attire and whatever decorations they had earned. 

Collection : 16 Roman Republic