Very rare denarius minted at the military mint in Sicily.
Ex. Auction 24 Gitbud & Naumann, 2014.
Roman Republic
Sextus Pompeius (40–39 BC), Denarius 40-39 BC, Sicilian military mint
Obverse: bare head of Pompey the Great right, jug behind, lituus before
MAG PIVS IMP ITER
Reverse: Neptune standing left, his foot on prow, between the brothers Anapias and Amphinomus, with their parents on their shoulders
PRÆF CLAS ET ORÆ MARIT EX S C
Weight 3.7 g
Offered coin was minted by the younger son of Pompey the Great (latin Pompeius Magnus), who took the nickname and republican beliefs from his father. When, in 42 BC, the allies in the second triumvirate, Octavian and Antony, defeated the army of Cassius and Brutus at Philippi, Sextus Pompey, who in 43 BC conquered Sicily, became the only enemy of the triumvirs. In 39 BC they made peace with him in Puteoli, giving him proconsular authority in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Peloponnese. However, after Marcus Agrippa's victory in the naval battle of Naulochos, Sextus's fleet was completely wiped out, and he was killed as a fugitive at Miletus.
Coins minted by Sextus Pompey most often commemorate his famous father.
