Roman Republic Silver Denarius 46BC C. Considius Paetus

Roman Republic Silver AR Denarius 46 B.C.

Moneyer: C. Considius Paetus

Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo, right, A behind. Border of dots.

Reverse: C·CONSIDI PAETI, Curule chair, garlanded, on which lies wreath. Border of dots.

Date: 46 B.C., RRC (Crawford) 465/2a

Size: 21.5mm diameter, 3.60g weight

Composition: Silver

Banker's marks, obverse gouge, concave flan

The curule chair was a special portable seat that was reserved for Roman officials holding imperium and on this coin serves as a symbol of political power.

Of the moneyer, C. Considius Paetus, little is known of his non-moneying life apart from a single historical record that possibly refers to him. It is possible that he was the son of Gaius Considius Longus, a propraetor who fought on the Pompeian side in the Roman Civil War against Julius Caesar and was murdered by his own Gaetulian soldiers following the Pompeian defeat in the Battle of Thapsus. The Bellum Africum, a historical account of Caesar's African campaign during the civil war, mentions Caesar's capture of Longus' son after that battle. Caesar apparently spared the son's life, which was kind of his thing. You would fight against Caesar, get defeated by him, and then he would be all magnanimous and make a big display of forgiving you and sparing your life. And then every time you see him in the hallways at the Senate, you have to act all grateful and you can tell that he kind of expects you to apologize to him again...every single time you see him. And then of course everybody else gives him a ton of credit for being the bigger man, for being so generous and forgiving, blablabla-  but you know he just did it for his own ego. It's just a bit much.