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Denarius M. Opimius
| Issuer | Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 131 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Apollo driving a biga at full gallop to the right, depicted as a youthful figure with a quiver of arrows visible over his right shoulder. He holds a bow in his left hand while his right hand grasps both an arrow and the reins of the two horses, which are shown in dynamic stride. The exergue and field are bounded by a straight line border. The reverse legend identifies the moneyer and the city of issue in two parts flanking the composition. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
M. Opimius served as moneyer around 131 BC, the same decade Rome was absorbing the shock of Tiberius Gracchus's assassination and the violent suppression of his land reform movement. The Opimii were a prominent plebeian family; a generation later, Lucius Opimius — almost certainly a relative — would pass the senatus consultum ultimum to justify the killing of Gaius Gracchus in 121 BC, the first formal use of that emergency decree.
Crawford catalogues this issue as RRC 254/1 with no recorded die study anomalies of particular note. Surviving specimens cluster in a fairly tight weight range around the standard, suggesting consistent bullion control at the mint that year.