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Aureus - Brutus L·PLAET·CEST / BRVT·IMP
| Issuer | Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 43 BC - 42 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped and veiled laureate female bust facing right, wearing a polos, identified by some authorities as Artemis or a personification of Roma. The effigy is rendered in a refined late Republican style with careful attention to drapery folds and headdress detail. The obverse legend L·PLAET·CEST, referring to Lucius Plaetorius Cestianus, the moneyer responsible for the issue, is inscribed in the field. The design is enclosed within a neat border of dots. |
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| Reverse lettering | BRVT·IMP (Translation: Emperor Brutus) |
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| Additional information |
This aureus was struck in the field by Brutus's own traveling mint during the months preceding Philippi, most likely in Macedonia or western Asia Minor. Brutus held imperator acclamation from his troops — the IMP in the legend a direct claim of military authority issued without Senate sanction, which was itself a pointed act for a man who had justified Caesar's assassination in the name of Republican legitimacy. The coin's very existence is a political contradiction Brutus never resolved.
Crawford dates the issue to 42 BC on the basis of the accompanying silver series. Fewer than thirty aurei of this type are known to survive.