Crawford 262/1

Moneyer: Lucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus, 128 BC

Denomination: Denarius

Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma to right; star (mark of value) behind

Reverse: Pax driving galloping biga to right, holding olive branch, sceptre, and reins; elephant's head below,

Reference: Crawford 262/1

Mint: Rome

Weight: 3,90 g

Notes: Lucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus was a member of the influential plebeian Roman family Caecilia (gens Caecilia).

Elephant - commemorates the capture of Carthaginian elephants by the ancestor of Lucius Caecilius Metellus Diadematus - consul Lucius Caecilius Metellus - during the victorious battle fought against Carthaginian troops led by Hasdrubal at Panormos (now Palermo) in 250 BC, during the First Punic War. The above victory was commemorated by representatives of the Caecilia family by placing the image of an elephant on the coins they minted. The animal thus became the emblem of the family.

Collection : 16 Roman Republic