Denarius Manlia: L. Manlius Torquatus, ROMA X / TORQVA Q EX S C

L. Manlius Torquatus served as moneyer during a period when Roman attention was fixed on two simultaneous military crises: the Jugurthine War in North Africa and the mounting pressure from Cimbric migrations pressing toward the northern frontier. The EX S C notation — indicating the senate authorized this specific issue — was not a formality; it flags an extraordinary emission, likely tied to military financing demands that exceeded routine coinage scheduling.

The Manlii Torquati traced their cognomen to T. Manlius Imperiosus, who allegedly stripped a torque from a defeated Gaul in single combat during the 4th century BC.