89 BC - ROMAN REPUBLIC -Silver Denarius - King Tatius/Victory

$135.00

Silver Denarius, Roman Republic, c. 89 BC

Moneyer: L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus

Obv: Bearded head of King Tatius, right

Rev: Victory in Biga, holding wreath “L.TITVRI”

(Sear-R253) 16mm, 4.05gm

According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius was the king of the Sabines from Cures and joint-ruler of Rome for several years.

During the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, Tatius declared war on Rome in response to the incident known as the rape of the Sabine women. After he captured the stronghold atop Capitoline Hill with the treachery of Tarpeia, the Sabines and Romans fought an epic battle that concluded when the abducted Sabine women intervened to convince the two sides to reconcile and end the war. The two kingdoms were joined and the two kings ruled jointly until Tatius' murder five years later. The joint kingdom was still called Rome and the citizens of the city were still called Romans, but as a community, they were to be called Quirites. The Sabines were integrated into the existing tribes and curies. Tatius is not counted as one of the traditional "Seven Kings of Rome".

Interestingly, the Moneyer of this coin (L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus) claimed decendency from King Tatius!

  • Inventory# PA-3359