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Denarius Marsic Confederation
| Issuer | Marsic Confederation (Social War) |
|---|---|
| Year | 90 BC - 89 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Denarius (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A charging bull, symbol of the Italian confederate cause, attacks and gores a she-wolf (symbol of Rome) to the right, rendered in dynamic and forceful style conveying the military and political defiance of the Social War allies. An Oscan control-mark appears above the main device in the field. In the exergue, the Oscan legend VITELLIÚ — the Oscan form of 'Italia' — is inscribed in the Old Italic script, proclaiming the aspirations of the confederate state. The reverse is bordered by a ring of dots. The composition is a powerful political statement, deliberately contrasting the Italic bull with the Roman wolf. |
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| Mintage | ND (90 BC - 89 BC) |
| Additional information |
Struck by the Italian rebel confederation during the Social War — Rome's most existential internal conflict since Hannibal — these coins were a deliberate act of political defiance. The insurgent allies, denied Roman citizenship despite generations of military service, established their own rival state called Italia and opened mints, almost certainly at Corfinium, the city they renamed Italica and intended as their new capital.
The confederation's coinage program lasted barely two years before military defeats and the tactical concession of the Lex Julia de civitate — granting citizenship to non-revolting allies — drained the rebellion of its rationale and manpower.