Struck in 40 BC, this denarius belongs to a remarkable political moment: the Treaty of Brundisium, which patched over the increasingly violent rivalry between Antony and Octavian and carved the Roman world into eastern and western spheres. Lucius Munatius Plancus, named in the obverse legend, was one of the most politically nimble survivors of the late Republic — a man who served Caesar, Antony, and eventually Octavian without suffering the fate of most who attempted the same maneuver.
Plancus founded the Roman colony of Lugdunum (modern Lyon) in 43 BC, and later, in 27 BC, personally proposed in the Senate the title "Augustus" for Octavian.
Struck in 40 BC, this denarius belongs to a remarkable political moment: the Treaty of Brundisium, which patched over the increasingly violent rivalry between Antony and Octavian and carved the Roman world into eastern and western spheres. Lucius Munatius Plancus, named in the obverse legend, was one of the most politically nimble survivors of the late Republic — a man who served Caesar, Antony, and eventually Octavian without suffering the fate of most who attempted the same maneuver.
Plancus founded the Roman colony of Lugdunum (modern Lyon) in 43 BC, and later, in 27 BC, personally proposed in the Senate the title "Augustus" for Octavian.