File:Denarius Sextus Pompeius-Scilla.jpg

Summary

<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sextus_Pompeius" title="Sextus Pompeius">Sextus Pompeius</a>. <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=42_BC&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="42 BC (page does not exist)">42</a>-<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=40_BC&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="40 BC (page does not exist)">40 BC</a>. <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Silver" title="Silver">AR</a> <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Denarius" title="Denarius">Denarius</a> (3.50 gm).

MAG PIVS IMP ITER, <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Galley" title="Galley">galley</a> adorned with aquila, sceptre and trident before the Colonna Rhegina, decorated with a statue of <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Neptune" class="mw-disambig" title="Neptune">Neptune</a>/<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Poseidon" class="mw-redirect" title="Poseidon">Poseidon</a>

PRAEF CLAS ET ORAE MARIT EX S C, the monster <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Scylla" class="mw-redirect" title="Scylla">Scylla</a>, her torso of dogs and fishes, wielding a rudder as a club.

Crawford 511/4a; Sear, CRI 335; Sydenham 1348; RSC 2.

On the reverse, the title of Sextus Pompeius, PRAEFECTUS CLASSIS ET ORAE MARITIMAE EX SENATUS CONSULTO, means "Commander of the fleet and of the coasts for decision of the Senate".

It seems beyond doubt that this coin marks Pompey's "victory" over Octavian's fleet in 42 BC near Scyllaeum in the difficult waters of the Strait of Messina. Therefore the dates given for this issue in RSC and Crawford (42-40 BC) are probably right, though a second and similar disaster, which was mainly due to an unfavorable wind that drove Octavian's ships onto the rocks, happened off Rhegion in 38 BC.

Licensing

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.