Roman Republic (Rome mint 127 BC.), moneyer Caius Servilius Vatia.
Denarius (18-19 mm, 3,83 g), silver, axis irregular alignment ?? (ca. 260°),
Obv.: Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet, ornamented with griffin’s head, the visor in three pieces and peaked, wearing triple-drop earring; star on neckpiece of helmet; to left, lituus right, mark of value below chin (XVI -monogram (16), = value mark for a denarius of 16 As); ROMA below.
Rev.: C. SERVEIL in exergue, helmeted warrior (M. Servilius Pulex Geminus) on horseback charging left, holding spear and shield inscribed M (Marcus); another horseman on left, defending with sword and shield.
Crawford 264/1 ; Sydenham 483 ; BMCRR Rome 1166-1167 ; Bab. Servilia 6 .
According to Crawford, the moneyer would be Caius Servilius Vatia, father of Caius Servilus, praetor in 102 BC, of Marcus Servilius, moneyer in 100 BC and of Publius Servilius, consul in 79 BC. The reverse refers to the moneyer's grandfather, Marcus Servilius Pulex Geminus, a hero of the second Punic war, who was elected augur in 211 BC (an office he held for some forty years) and consul in 202 BC. According to Plutarch, he received numerous wounds in twenty-three single combats, being victorious in all (Plutarch, Paulus Aemilius, xxxi).
He was a friend of Aemilius Paullus, the victor at Pydna over the Macedonians. Paullus owed the battle tried plebeian Servilius Geminus his triumph: When the comitia, where the soldiers had to decide, refused the triumph to the unpopular patrician Paullus, Servilius gave a speech in favour of the commander, showing all his wounds he had obtained from the 23 single combats against the Carthagians. His intercession convinced the soldiers and Paullus was called imperator and given a triumph. One scene of Servilius's many fights is shown on this reverse. The lituus on the obverse refers to his office as augur.
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