The Ides of March denarius, issued by Marcus Junius Brutus, is one of the most famous and historic coins ever minted. It commemorates the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BCE, an event that later inspired many works of art, literature, opera, and film. Caesar had declared himself "perpetual dictator" at the beginning of that year, thereby directly prompting the assassination plot by Brutus and a group of other senators who feared for the survival of the Republic under his tyrannical rule. The reverse of the coin shown here not only bears the inscription naming the day of the murder but also depicts two daggers representing the weapons used to stab Caesar to death, as well as a cap usually worn by slaves who had earned their freedom, symbolizing here the liberation of Rome.
Inscription: BRVT IMP L PLAET CEST (Brutus, Imperator, Lucius Plaetorius Cestianus), head of Brutus, EID MAR (Ides of March), pilleus (felt cap), and two daggers.
Rome, 43-42 BCE.
Met Museum (L.2012.74, (ANS 1001.1.24742 Private collection, on loan to the American Numismatic Society)
For the #IdesofMarch, here's one of the most famous coins to ever be minted: the silver denarius of M. Junius Brutus commemorating the assassination of Julius Caesar. It depicts two daggers, a slave's cap of freedom (pileus), and the inscription EID MAR. 🏺 #ancientbluesky
43-42 CE. #MetMuseum
📸 me
