Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Keystone Auction 6 11 Mar 2022
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L. Marcius Philippus. 57 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.95 g, 12h). Rome mint. Diademed head of Ancus Marcius right; lituus behind / Equestrian statue right set on arcade of five arches. Crawford 425/1; Sydenham 919; Marcia 28. VF, lightly toned, a few scratches.
From the Ken Bressett Collection. Purchased in Boston in 1950 for @ $20.
The Gens Marcia claimed descent from the fourth king of Rome, Ancus Marcius, who is portrayed on the obverse of this coin. There was a legend that he built the Aqua Marcia, the longest of the aqueducts of Rome (it taped sources 91 kilometers away from the city), but, in fact, it was built by Q. Marcius Rex, whose statue appears on the reverse of this coin, in c. 144-140 BC, and it was paid for by the spoils of Carthage and Corinth, which were both destroyed in 146. Having such a major source of water allowed the city of Rome to begin the expansion that led to it become the largest city in the western world.
From the Ken Bressett Collection. Purchased in Boston in 1950 for @ $20.
The Gens Marcia claimed descent from the fourth king of Rome, Ancus Marcius, who is portrayed on the obverse of this coin. There was a legend that he built the Aqua Marcia, the longest of the aqueducts of Rome (it taped sources 91 kilometers away from the city), but, in fact, it was built by Q. Marcius Rex, whose statue appears on the reverse of this coin, in c. 144-140 BC, and it was paid for by the spoils of Carthage and Corinth, which were both destroyed in 146. Having such a major source of water allowed the city of Rome to begin the expansion that led to it become the largest city in the western world.