the extraordinary story of the silver denarius

On the Friday before last, Trust director Philip installed a new image as the screensaver on his computer at Roman Circus House. The day before, he had been to the lab. where the ‘Fenwick treasure’ is being conserved. We discovered the treasure during our excavation at the Williams & Griffin store in the High Street at Colchester. Philip went to the lab. to photograph the treasure to include in the next issue of our annual magazine The Colchester Archaeologist. The treasure consists of beautiful items of Roman jewellery and also a small collection of mostly silver coins. Philip was so taken with one of the coins that he installed a photo. of it as his screensaver… This coin is a silver legionary denarius of Marcus Antonius.

Marcus Antonius (or Mark Antony in English, 83 BC-30 BC) was a Roman politician and general, and instrumental in the Roman republic becoming the Roman empire. He held several high offices and was one of the Second Triumvirate of the Roman republic. Marcus Antonius issued a legionary series of coins (‘galley type’) – mostly silver denarii – to pay his legionaries when he was on campaign in Greece in 32-31 BC. (A unit of the Roman army was called a ‘legion’; a soldier in a legion was called a ‘legionary’.) The coins were either minted at the campaign HQ at Patrae or by a mint actually travelling with Marcus Antonius. He had 23 legions of soldiers, numbered up to XXIII, and the coins are inscribed with the names of the different legions. The Trust’s denarius is inscribed with the name of one of these legions, that is, Legio XVII Classica. (‘Classica’ indicates service at sea.) The coinage represented by our denarius may have been the troops’ four-monthly pay or a special one-off payment on the day before the battle of Actium. In 32-31 BC, when he issued the series of coins, Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra were together trying to defend his western provinces, Greece and Macedonia, against Octavian (with perhaps 400 ships and 80,000 men). Marcus Antonius had 19 legions on land and four legions on war ships off the west coast of Greece (with perhaps 500 ships and 70,000 men altogether). One of the legions on ships must have been Legio XVII Classica.

The famous battle of Actium* took place on the 2nd September 31 BC. It was a major battle, fought at sea, in which Octavian defeated Marcus Antonius. It ended the final civil war of the Roman republic and marked the end of the republic and the beginning of the Roman empire. After the battle of Actium, surviving men of Marcus Antonius’ legions were redistributed: they were either placed in army veteran settlements in the provinces or they continued as soldiers in Octavian’s re-organised Roman army. Some of Marcus Antonius’ legions were incorporated in the Roman army. (Read more in The making of the Roman army: from republic to empire, by Lawrence Keppie (1984).)

Our denarius shows a Roman war ship (galley) on the obverse (front) and the two legionary standards of Legio XVII Classica with a legionary eagle on the reverse (back). On the front, the coin is inscribed ANT.A[VG] with III.VIR.R.P.C, for Antonius Augurus (his official priestly title) and triumvir rei publicae constituendae, meaning ‘one of three men for the restoration of the republic’ (the triumvirate). The reverse is inscribed LEG.XVII.CLASSICAE, for Legio XVII Classica. (Legionary denarii inscribed with the names of Marcus Antonius’ other legions have been found around the Roman empire.)

Marcus Antonius’ legionary denarii were made of silver but it was a debased metal, so they were in circulation for a long time (some well into the 2nd century). They were also issued in large numbers. Our denarius is very worn, as it had been in use for almost 100 years before it was hidden with the treasure in AD 61. The denarius shows evidence of scraping, from when someone scraped some of the silver off for re-use. Marcus Antonius’ legionary denarii are not rare, even in Britain. However, these Legio XVII Classica denarii are the only surviving evidence that a Legio XVII Classica ever existed.

So our denarius was issued during Marcus Antonius’ military campaign in Greece in 32-31 BC, and paid to a Roman soldier. If it was issued on the day before the battle of Actium on the 2nd September 31 BC, then it is possible that it was carried by a soldier at the battle. A surviving soldier may then have carried the coin to the provinces of the empire on military service or when re-settled as a veteran, or it may have just travelled further and further north and west. Our denarius continued in circulation for almost 100 years, despite having some silver scraped off. At some point it was acquired by a Roman living in Roman Britain, in Colchester, who saved it in their hoard of jewellery and coins. They then buried it for safekeeping under the floor of their house during the Boudican revolt of AD 61, when the town was burned to the ground and the inhabitants were massacred. The treasure lay buried under ground until 2014, when the Trust found it, in the last few days of our excavation at the Williams & Griffin store… And that is an extraordinary story.

In fact, finding the treasure was only the beginning of another chapter in the long and eventful life of our denarius, as it was excavated and then taken to the lab. for conservation. The treasure has an eventful history of its own, and its modern history is also interesting. It was remarkable to find the treasure on our site at the Williams & Griffin store. We then lifted it in a block and took it to the conservation lab. . There we found that the treasure included some coins with the jewellery. Then the Marcus Antonius legionary denarius was identified among the coins. Although the jewellery is beautiful and valuable and has a big story, the denarius has emerged as having an even bigger story…

The Trust’s excavation at the Williams & Griffin store, and our post-excavation work, are being funded by Fenwick Ltd.

The images show the coin (both sides) and the screensaver. The obverse of the coin shows the war ship (galley) and the reverse shows the two legionary standards of Legio XVII Classica with a legionary eagle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* The battle of Actium was a sea battle, involving Marcus Antonius and his four legions of soldiers on war ships and also Cleopatra and her squadron of ships, against Octavian’s ships led by his general Agrippa. During the battle, Cleopatra fled with her squadron. Marcus Antonius then followed her, with 100 of his ships. His other ships carried on fighting: apparently 100 were destroyed during the battle and 300 surrendered to Agrippa (and most of these were burned after the battle). 5,000 men were killed during the battle. Marcus Antonius’ land forces surrendered to Octavian a week later. Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius escaped to Egypt. Octavian pursued them. Their remaining troops deserted and they both committed suicide. In 27 BC, Octavian (later called Augustus) took control of the Roman state.

The Vatican Museum holds part of a marble relief found at the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia at Palestrina, which shows a Roman war ship. This is interpreted as being one of Marcus Antonius’ ships at the battle of Actium, so the soldiers shown may be from a Legio Classica (Keppie 1984).
.