Moneyer: | C. Sulpicius C.f. |
Held Office: | 106 BC |
Denomination: | Denarius Serratus |
Mint: | Rome |
Obverse: | Conjoined heads of the Dei Panates left, "D•P•P" before. |
Reverse: | The two Dei Panates standing facing each other, resting spears and pointing at a large sow, which lies between them, control letter "Q" above. In exergue: "C•SVLPICI•C•F" (LP in monogram). |
Reference: | RCVM 189, RSC Sulpicia 1, RRC 312/1 |
Weight: | 3.8 gms |
Diameter: | 18.7 mm |
Comment: | See below for iconography |
The Dei Panates and the large sowWhen Aeneas fled from Troy, Helenus, a son of Priam, predicted that Aeneas would build a new city at a place where a white sow would give birth to 30 piglets.
When Aeneas and his Trojans arrived at the coast of Latium after a long voyage from Carthage, they were hungry and so landed on the beach to eat. Aeneas prepared to sacrifice a pregnant white sow that he had brought in his ship for this purpose, but the sow escaped and fled inland, laying down under an oak-tree (or ilex-tree) and giving birth to 30 white piglets. Because of the prophecy Aeneas knew that he should built a city here. He sacrificed the 30 piglets and erected a shrine at this place. The new city he called Lavinium referring to Lavinia, daughter of king Latinus. |
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R02310