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Denarius Scribonia: Lucius Scribonius Libo, BON•EVENT LIBO / PVTEAL SCRIBON
| Issuer | Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 62 BC |
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| Currency | Denarius of 16 Asses (141 – 27 BC) |
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| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The Puteal Scribonianum depicted in three-quarter perspective, showing the well-head decorated with a garland and two lyres on its cylindrical drum. The legend PVTEAL appears above the monument and SCRIBON is placed in the exergue. At the base of the puteal, one of three workshop variants is shown: a hammer (RRC 416/1a), tongs (RRC 416/1b), or anvil (RRC 416/1c), distinguishing the sub-types. A border of dots encircles the design. |
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| Additional information |
Lucius Scribonius Libo issued this denarius to advertise his family's claim to a peculiar piece of Roman sacred topography: the Puteal Scribonianum, a wellhead enclosure in the Roman Forum marking the spot where lightning had struck. The site fell under the jurisdiction of the praetor's court, and Libo's ancestor had been responsible for its construction or consecration — the precise circumstances are debated. Invoking it on coinage was a calculated act of ancestral self-promotion.
The BON EVENT legend, abbreviating Bonus Eventus, ties the issue to a cult with deep agricultural roots that had by the late Republic been absorbed into a more general notion of favorable outcome.