The rise of Rome and the origins of its history have always excited and fascinated people. Of course, our perception of Roman history differs significantly from the views of the ancient inhabitants of the Eternal City. Nowadays, we make some distinction between its legendary history and actual historical events, which scholars try to reconstruct on the basis of critical analysis of ancient sources. For the Romans, the stories about the origins of their state were not just a collection of legends, but a widely accepted version of actual events. Nevertheless, some of Rome’s founding myths have become a permanent part of the way we think about the city today. The most famous example, of course, is the Roman she-wolf (lupa romana), which remains one of Rome’s symbols to this day, and whose image can be found in many corners of the city.
Like modern scholars, Romans disputed about the origins and subsequent development of the City. Already in antiquity there were different versions of myths addressing this issue. This was probably due to the fact that myths and legends were in a constant process of evolution. They were also created on the basis of various traditions, mainly Etruscan and Greek.
The motifs associated with the legendary beginnings of the City were an important aspect of the identity of the Romans. They inspired ancient historiographers who tried to describe the entire “history” of Rome. Titus Livius, author of the work From the Founding of the City (Ab urbe condita), in particular, stood out in this field. Myths also sparked the imagination of Roman artists, including poets. One of them was Virgil, who used them to create a famous epic poem called the Aeneid.
These themes were also a popular motif of iconography placed on ancient coins. Based on them, modern researchers examine how the Romans viewed their history. Such coins were issued for a long period, from the 3rd century BCE until the 4th century CE. It should be noted that, for practical reasons, Roman myths and legends underwent considerable simplification on coins, reducing them to easily recognizable symbols expressed through specific iconographic elements. The physical limitations of the coins, however, have their advantages. Because of their small size, an effort was made to place on them images that were particularly important and thus understandable.
There were many iconographic motifs referring to the beginning of Roman history. Among the most important were undoubtedly those depicting the heroes of the aforementioned Aeneid. They presented the figure of Aeneas, who leads the little Ascanius with his right hand and holds his father Anchises in his left. This iconography obviously refers to the legendary escape of the protoplasts of the Romans from Troy.
Surprisingly, coins with this motif were not particularly popular in Roman coinage. They were issued only a dozen times over several centuries. Much more frequent iconography referring to the Trojan myth was used in the Roman provinces. Particular cities depicted the motif of the escape from Troy in order to place their history in the broader context of Roman “history.” The cities thus demonstrated their ties to Rome, which increased their prestige.
Another important figure associated with the beginnings of Rome depicted on coins was Romulus. He first appears on them quite late, only in 56 BCE. Gradually, however, the motif gained prominence during the imperial era. Romulus was depicted as a young, armed and armored warrior holding a trophy in one hand, perhaps reflecting one of his ancient monuments. The legendary founder of Rome was particularly popular on the coins of the emperors of the Antonine dynasty. At the time, his depictions on numismats were accompanied by a legend in the form ROMVLO CONDITORI. The conditor (founder) emphasizes his role in the foundation of Rome. The iconography, however, most likely refers to Romulus’ heroic deeds. During one of the wars, he was said to have defeated the Sabine king Akron in a duel. The motif on the coin thus probably refers to his triumph. Romulus steps up to the Capitol in order to present to Jupiter there the trophy he captured on the enemy. The figure, of course, did not appear on the coins of the emperors of this dynasty by chance. For some reason, it must have been attractive to imperial propaganda. As it seems, there was an attempt to link the mythical activities of Romulus with the successes of the various rulers. Political aspirations and attachment to the Roman past were also emphasized.
One of the most well-known contemporary symbols relating to Roman founding myths is the she-wolf. Iconography referring to it appeared on Roman coins (the so-called “Roman-Campanian” didrachms) quite early, as early as 269-266 BCE. Their reverse shows a depiction of a she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus. The image is supplemented by a legend in the form of ROMANORUM (coin of the Romans).
The motif was also popular in the later period and appeared on coins until the 4th century CE. It was often enriched with additional iconographic elements, such as an eagle or the shepherd Faustulus, who, according to legend, raised abandoned boys. In antiquity, the depiction of the she-wolf was one of the most important and popular symbols of Rome as a city, state and Romanness in general. This is confirmed, among other things, by provincial coins issued by Roman colonies in the east of the empire. They placed motifs unambiguously associated with Rome on their coins to emphasize their status. In this context, the iconography of the Roman she-wolf was particularly often used.
In the Roman republic, the people in charge of issuing money were the monetary triumvirs (tresviri monetales). Most often this office was held by young representatives of the Roman aristocracy. Among their duties was the selection of the iconography to be placed on the coins, and they had a very high degree of freedom in this matter. As a result, the triumvirs often chose such motifs that linked the legendary “history” of the City with the history of their families. An example of this attitude was the activity of the famous Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the leaders of the plot on the life of Gaius Julius Caesar. Brutus traced his ancestry back to Lucius Junius Brutus, the legendary first consul and founder of the republic, who led the exile of the last king from Rome. While this is obvious fiction to today’s historians, in ancient times it was simply part of the official history of the City, which was widely believed.
Marcus Junius Brutus served as monetary triumvirate in 54 BCE. At that time, the Roman mint issued coins bearing the head of his famous ancestor, Lucius Junius Brutus, and the legend BRVTVS on the obverse. The reverse, in turn, showed a portrait of Gaius Servilius Ahala, accompanied by the inscription AHALA.
While the meaning of the obverse legend seems fairly obvious, the inscription on the reverse requires some explanation. It referred to the family of Brutus’ mother, Servilia. One of her ancestors, Servius Ahala, in 439 BCE, was said to have assassinated a certain Spurius Melius, who aspired to tyranny. In this way, the young Brutus inscribed the achievements of his family’s famous representatives – both on his mother’s and father’s sides – into the broader context of Roman history. His later actions testify that he must have identified with their achievements to some extent. After all, in 44 BCE, he and a group of conspirators decided to “protect” the republic from the “tyranny” of Gaius Julius Caesar
