Denarius L. Staius Murcus, MVRCVS·IMP

Lucius Staius Murcus served as a legate under Julius Caesar before defecting to the Pompeian cause following the Ides of March. He was appointed governor of Syria by the senate in 44 BC, but his authority quickly became contested — he allied with Cassius at the battle of Philippi in 42 BC, then refused to submit to the triumvirs afterward. This coin was struck during that period of open defiance, when Murcus held a substantial fleet and raided the Italian coast before eventually throwing in his lot with Sextus Pompey. He was killed on Pompey's orders, probably in 40 BC.