Republican Denarius of Rome Issued by C. Vibius C.F. Pansa

48 BCE

13/16 in. (diameter) x 1/16 in. (2 cm x 0.1 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Demeter
• denarii - Roman silver coins originally valued at ten asses, later debased in value and purity; in use from the late 3rd century BCE until the mid-3rd century CE.
• Dionysos
• plows - Agricultural tools used for cutting, lifting, turning over, and partly pulverizing the soil, especially in the preparation of a seedbed.
• Republican - Refers to the period in history and style of art that developed when Rome was ruled by the Republic, from its founding in 509 BCE through the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE or the formal establishment of the Empire in 27 BCE. Art produced during this period reflects the political power, glories, and distinguished ancestors of the ruling families, resulting in many portraits and historical reliefs. The style is characterized by the influence of Classical Greek art and an emphasis on extreme realism.
• silver - Pure metallic element having symbol Ag and atomic number 47; a malleable, ductile, white metal with characteristic sheen, considered a precious metal. Silver is widely distributed throughout the world, occurring rarely as metallic silver (in Peru, Norway) but more often as silver-gold alloys and silver ore. Today silver is obtained as a byproduct in the refinement of gold, lead, copper, or zinc ores. Silver was smelted from the ore galena as early as 3800 BCE. As a pure metal, silver is second to gold in malleability and ductility, can be polished to a highly reflective surface, and used -- typically in an alloy -- in jewelry, coinage, photography, mirrors, electrical contacts, and tableware.
• torches - Lights consisting of an open flame emitted from a stick-like handle, usually carried by hand or mounted on a wall or pole. Torches originally consisted of a stick of resinous wood or bundles of fiber soaked with pitch, wax, resin, tallow or other flammable substance. In later usage, includes other sorts of lamps on poles that are designed to be carried like torches.