Roman coin depicting Mercury

Roman coin showing Mercury. The denarius is from 82 BCE and was struck by Gaius Mamilius Limetanus.

Mercury (Mercurius) was the Roman god of trade, profit, and mercantile; also thieves and customs; the messenger of the gods. The coin shows the image of Mercury with a wide travel cap (petasos) on its head, protecting it from sun and rain; along with wings that symbolically gave him speed. On the left is the caduceus, an ancient trade symbol. The indents on the sides of the coin were a procedure used in ancient Rome to thwart attempts to counterfeit the coin’s value and use too little of the precious metal (silver or gold).

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Wars of second triumvirate Agrippina the Younger Gallic Wars Great Roman civil war Gaius Julius Caesar