Crawford 433/2, Roman Republic, Marcus Junius Brutus, Denarius, 54 BC.

Roman Republic, Rome mint, 54 BC.,
Denarius (18-19 mm / 4.03 g),
Obv.: BRVTVS , head of L. Junius Brutus (consul 509 BC.) to right.
Rev.: AHALA , head of C.Servilivs Ahala (magister equitum 439 BC.) to right.
Cr. 433/2 ; Syd. 907 ; Bab. (Iunia) 30 ; Vagi 82 .

The moneyer of this coin, Quintus Caepio Brutus, is more famously known in history as Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the men who assassinated Julius Caesar. Brutus was born in 85 BC and on the death of his father was adopted by his uncle. Hence the name Q. Caepio Brutus which occurs on official public documents and on coins. In 59 BC he assumed the office of moneyer and in the next year accompanied Cato to Cyprus. Upon his return to Rome he sided with the party of Pompey and fought against Caesar at Dyrrhachium in 48 BC. After the battle at Pharsalus, Brutus was pardoned by Caesar becoming governor of Cisalpine Gaul in 46 BC, holder of the high office of praetor of the city in 44 BC, and receiving a promise by Caesar to hold the governorship of Macedonia. Despite this, he joined the conspiracy which helped to assassinate Caesar and met his fate on the battlefields at Philippi where he was defeated by the forces of Octavian and Marc Antony and there committed suicide.
The obverse depicts Brutus’ ancestor Lucius Junius Brutus. According to history, L. Junius Brutus once expelled the last king, Tarquinius Superbus and had installed the Republic and served the first consulship of the Republic in 509 BC. M. Junius Brutus, the moneyer, is claiming descent from this great historical figure for propaganda purposes in order to drive forward his own political career which was aiming towards the consulship.
The moneyer was a member of the gens Iunia, one of the oldest families of Rome. He claimed to be a direct descendant of Brutus. In addition, he was related to Marcus Porcius Cato, the most active and charismatic leader of the opposition against Caesar during the latters quest for the autocracy. Brutus was an ardent defender of the old Republic and showed relatively early his willingness to fight for these principles: thus this issue was struck in the year, in which there was an existing fear that Pompey, opponent of Caesar, could become dictator. As types, the moneyer chose two of his ancestors who had successfully expelled tyrants: Brutus banned king Tarquinius, and Ahala expelled Spurius Maelius, a tribune of the Plebs who had wanted to introduce too quickly to many changes in the Roman public life. This issue was therefore meant to be as a warning to Pompey; the message was clear: there would always be found in Rome a successor to Brutus and Ahala to expel any tyrant who should show up. The picture of Gaius Servilius Ahala is also an allusion of the Roman hate against autocracy: Ahala had slain a plebeian citizen with his own hands on the forum, because this plebeian was said to seek autocracy.