Very rare denarius minted at the military mint in Sicily.
Roman Republic
Sextus Pompeius (40–39 BC), Denarius 40-39 BC, Sicilian military mint
Obverse: galley adorned with aquila, sceptre and trident before the Pharos of Messana, decorated with a statue of Neptune
MAG PIVS IMP ITER
Reverse: the monster Scylla, her torso of dogs and fishes, wielding a rudder as a club
PRÆF CLAS ET ORÆ MARIT EX S C
Weight 3,92 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 or, as here, they bring sea motifs, because Sextus based his power almost exclusively on a strong fleet.
