Denarius Cassia: Quintus Cassius Longinus; VEST Q•CASSIVS / AC 55 BC
55 BC year| Silver | 3.77 g | 19 mm |
| Issuer | Rome › Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
|---|---|
| Period | Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Year | 55 BC |
| Value | Denarius (1) |
| Currency | Denarius of 16 Asses (141 – 27 BC) |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | 3.77 g |
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-06 |
| Numista | N#390447 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 97% |
Reverse
Temple of Vesta; within, curule chair; on left, urn; on right, tablet inscribed A C. Border of dots.
Script: Latin
Lettering: AC
Comment
The gens Cassia was a Roman family of great antiquity originally patrician, but all of the members who appear in later times were plebeians. The first of the Cassii to obtain the consulship was Spurius Cassius Viscellinus, in 502 BC. He was the proposer of the first agrarian law, and was put to death by the patricians. The Cassia gens was reckoned one of the noblest in Rome; and members of it are constantly mentioned under the Empire as well as during the Republic.
The reverse is a depiction of the Temple of Vesta, where Lucius Cassius Longinus Ravilla held his trial of the vestals in 113. On the left is a voting urn, and a ballot (tabella) is on the right. It is inscribed A C for Absolvo Condemno ("acquitted" or "condemned"), a further reference to the trial
Interesting fact
One interesting fact about this coin is that it features an image of a Roman warship on its reverse side, which symbolizes the Roman Republic's military power and dominance over the seas.
