Republican Denarius of Rome Issued by Faustus Cornelius Sulla

56 BCE

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

This object has the following keywords:

• Artemis
• crescents - Motifs consisting of a curved segment of a circle, often suggesting a crescent moon.
• 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.
• female - Referring to the sex that normally produces eggs or female germ cells.
• kneeling - The act or posture of falling or resting on one's knees.
• litui - Hooked bronze trumpets of the Etruscans and Romans, consisting of a slender tube with a cylindrical bore, terminating in an upturned bell. The term continued in use in postclassical times, meaning crumhorns or cornetts, though in the 18th century it denoted brass instruments.
• 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.