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Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Roma

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

91 BCE

Artist:

Roman, minted in Rome

About this artwork

The front (obverse) of this coin depicts the head of the goddess Roma, facing right. On the back (reverse), the goddess Victory rides in a two-horse chariot called a biga.

Portraits of important people appear on local currency all around the world. The same was true in ancient Rome, which began producing its first coinage in the late 4th century BCE. Early coins depicted the heads of gods and goddesses on the front side, often in profile, while the back depicted animals, natural resources, symbols, and references to historical events. The denarius, introduced in 211 BCE, was the principal silver coin of Rome for five hundred years. The profile head of the goddess Roma—the personification of Rome—was the most popular image depicted on silver denarii in the second and first centuries BCE.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist

Ancient Roman

Title

Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Roma

Place

Italy (Minted in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

91 BCE

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Reverse: D SILANVS L F ROMA

Dimensions

Diam.: 1.8 cm (3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. William Nelson Pelouze

Reference Number

1923.1255

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/9959/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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