Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 561 1 May 2024
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Q. Thermus M.f. 103 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 4.02 g, 4h). Rome mint. Head of Mars left, wearing crested helmet ornamented with plume and annulet / Two warriors fighting, each armed with sword and shield; the one on the left protects a fallen comrade, the other wears horned helmet. Crawford 319/1; Sydenham 592; Minucia 19; RBW 1174. Iridescent toning, light marks. Good VF.
This dramatic type was struck within fresh memory of the catastrophic Roman defeat at Arausio (Orange) in southern Gaul in 105 BC. Two Roman armies were wiped out trying to halt a mass migration of two Germanic tribes, the Cimbri and the Teutones. The disaster prompted the Roman populace to elect the experienced military man Gaius Marius as Consul for the second time. In a sharp break with tradition, they would re-elect him the next four years. The denarius of Q. Thermus, with a helmeted Mars replacing the usual head of Roma, reflects Roman society being put on war footing anticipating the German invasion. On the reverse, a Roman legionary, on the left, confronts a barbarian warrior wearing a horned helmet. Both adopt a fighting stance, shields to the fore, swords raised above their heads, points forward. The Roman protects a fallen comrade at his feet. Although the scene may depict a deed performed by the moneyer's ancestor, it also could be viewed as showing Marius, in the aftermath of Arausio, shielding Rome from the German menace.
This dramatic type was struck within fresh memory of the catastrophic Roman defeat at Arausio (Orange) in southern Gaul in 105 BC. Two Roman armies were wiped out trying to halt a mass migration of two Germanic tribes, the Cimbri and the Teutones. The disaster prompted the Roman populace to elect the experienced military man Gaius Marius as Consul for the second time. In a sharp break with tradition, they would re-elect him the next four years. The denarius of Q. Thermus, with a helmeted Mars replacing the usual head of Roma, reflects Roman society being put on war footing anticipating the German invasion. On the reverse, a Roman legionary, on the left, confronts a barbarian warrior wearing a horned helmet. Both adopt a fighting stance, shields to the fore, swords raised above their heads, points forward. The Roman protects a fallen comrade at his feet. Although the scene may depict a deed performed by the moneyer's ancestor, it also could be viewed as showing Marius, in the aftermath of Arausio, shielding Rome from the German menace.