282/1. Aurelia (c.118 BC)

AR denarius seratus (Narbo, c.118 BC)

O/ Helmeted head of Roma r.; M AVRELI around; XVI behind.

R/ King Bituitus in prancing biga r., holding shield, carnyx and reins, and hurling spear; SCARI below; L LIC CN DOM, in exergue.

Crawford 282/2  (85 obverse dies/106 reverse dies)

3.78g

This denarius commemorates the victory of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus against Bituitus, King of the Arverni, in 121. It was minted for the creation of Narbo Martius, founded by Crassus and Ahenobarbus' son, who were both responsible for this issue.

It seems that there was an unusual team of seven moneyers this year: five "quintumvir monetales", and two "extra" moneyers (Crassus and Ahenobarbus). The latter two were still very young and therefore could not have held another magistrature, but it is obvious that they had the pre-eminence on the other moneyers, because their name is always present on the reverse of each of the five types of this issue. Moreover, as detailed below, Crassus and Ahenobarbus obviously came from much more prestigious families than the other moneyers, and Crassus personally requested the foundation of Narbo.

The three moneyers mentioned on this coin were:

Lucius Licinius Crassus (140-91):
Crassus belonged to the illustrious plebeian gens Licinia. Although there were countless recorded Licinii Crassi in the last two centuries of the Republic, Crassus' father is still unknown. Moreover, Crassus did not have a son, but he adopted Lucius Licinius Scipio, who had married his daughter Licinia.

His career is however very well documented. He is known for his outstanding oratory skills, which Cicero, one of his students, described as the best of the period, notably in his famous work De Oratore. Hence why Crassus was able to persuade the Senate into founding Narbo Martius in 118 and appointed moneyer.

He then easily climbed all the ranks of the cursus honorum, becoming Quaestor, Aedile Curulis in 103, Praetor, Augur, and Consul in 95. During his consulship, as a member of the Optimates, he passed the Lex Licinia Mucia, which expelled non-Roman citizens from Rome. This law is traditionally said to have fuelled the griefs of the Socii, leading to the Social War in 91. Finally, Crassus became Censor in 92 alongside his former colleague Ahenobarbus, with whom he nonetheless had a very difficult relationship, and died the following year.

Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (d. 88):
Like Crassus, Ahenobarbus came from a very prestigious plebeian gens: the Domitii, which produced an outstanding number of politicians during the last two centuries of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire. He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (Consul in 122), grandson of another homonym (Consul suffect in 162), and brother of Lucius (Consul in 94). His homonymous elder son and his younger son Lucius both became consuls in 87 and 54 respectively. It is also worth mentioning that his homonymous great-great-grandson married Agrippina the Younger; the Emperor Nero was therefore one of his descendants.

After the foundation of Narbo, Ahenobarbus embraced the cause of the Populares and notably became Tribune of the Plebs in 104, possibly under the patronage of Marius, the Consul. During his tribunate, he unsuccessfully accused Marcus Junius Silanus, former Consul in 109, of treason for having lost against the Cimbri. Ahenobarbus had also hoped to inherit the magistrature of Pontifex Maximus that year, but the College of Pontiffs chose to appoint Lucius Caecilius Metellus Dalmaticus instead. He therefore decided to pass the Lex Domitia, which transferred the election of the Pontifex Maximus to the comitia tributa. Out of gratitude for this new responsibility conferred to the people, the comitia elected Ahenobarbus as new Pontifex Maximus in 103, after the death of Dalmaticus.

Then, Ahenobarbus received the consulship in 96 and the Censorship in 92, with his former colleague Lucius Licinius Crassus. Being a Popularis, Ahenobarbus frequently criticised Crassus' luxurious lifestyle, but this might have just been a political manoeuvre.

Marcus Aurelius Scaurus (d.105):
Scaurus belonged to the plebeian gens Aurelia. Crawford thought that he was the Quaestor mentioned by Cicero (In Verrem, I, 95) and son of the Consul of 108. However, it seems unlikely that Scaurus could have been still active 40 years later. Scaurus should therefore be regarded as the Consul of 108.

Moreover, what we know of Scaurus' career makes this theory very likely. Indeed, Broughton placed his quaestorship just after his moneyership, in 117 and supposed that he was Praetor before 111 (I, p. 529 and 540).

Scaurus then replaced Lucius Hortensius, Consul designate in 108, who lost his magistracy for bribery. Scaurus was finally captured during the Battle of Arausio in 105; a Cimbrian chief named Boiorix put him to death because he had haughtily told him that Rome was invincible (Livy, Periochae, 67).

Colección : Roman Republic