Marc Antony and the Temple

Historical Background

This coin is a silver denarius from Italy. It was minted under the authority of Marc Antony and has been dated to sometime in 42 BC. This is the same year that the Second Triumvirate, which consisted of Marc Antony, Octavian (later Emperor Augustus) and Lepidus, defeated the Liberators’ army led by Julius Caesar’s assassins, Cassius and Brutus, in the second battle of Philippi. It marked the end of the republican era and the start of imperial rule. 

This coin is part of a series of three minted at this time, depicting the bare head of Marc Antony on the obverse and an image of the sun god, Sol, housed in a temple-like structure on the reverse. They were most likely used to pay Marc Antony’s soldiers after, or even during, the civil war. This is reinforced by the fact that the other two coins in the series have been identified as being of a military mint. Furthermore, silver denarius, like this coin, which were issued in ‘official’ mints and made of more precious metals, were generally used for military purposes.[1] 

The III VIR seen on the reverse of the coin translates to the latin Triumvir Reipublicae Constituendae, which means ‘one of three men for the restoration of the republic’, and the official title for the Second Triumvirate. The IMP seen in the coin legend on the obverse side, meaning imperator (an honour later associated with ‘emperor’), reflects the power and status that Antony held at the time, i.e. far superior to Octavian, who was only starting to rise in political prominence. In fact, both Octavian and Antony had marked their coins with IMP the previous year in 43 BC, but subsequently dropped it on entering Rome later that same year.[2] Only Antony again assumed the title in 42 BC, likely due to the success of the battles at Philippi. However, Octavian did not, perhaps because he was not yet strong enough to challenge Antony’s assumed leadership.[2] This coin undoubtedly served propaganda purposes in promoting Marc Antony as the next worthy heir to power, and also as a better leader than Octavian. 

Coin Interpretation 

On the reverse of the coin is the radiate head of the sun god, Sol. Sol is thought to have been associated with victory, and the use of this particular image on coins grew in popularity towards the end of the republic period and after the death of Julius Caesar.[3] For Antony, the image of Sol was likely meant to represent his martial successes at Philippi. (Years later, Sol would even become a patron of Roman soldiers.) Sol was also commonly associated with the ‘ushering in of a new age’, and Antony no doubt wished to highlight his part in this, perhaps also hoping to assume a central political role in this new era.[3]

The structure housing Sol on this coin is a little harder to determine, commonly referred to as a ‘distyle’ temple (a temple with two columns) in literature, it is also thought to be an aedictulum (a small pediment or shrine).[4] Supposedly, Agrippa wished to promote the Triumvirate to the people and so decided to revitalise the restoration of the ‘Circus Maximus’, which was a chariot-racing stadium where public games and spectacles related to Roman religious festivals were held and played a key role in the Rome’s social life.[4] Marc Antony may well have had a hand in sponsoring some of the modifications to the Circus in order to curry favour with the people of Rome and promote himself as Agrippa intended. A shrine to Sol was housed in the Circus, which may serve as the original shrine for the image on the coin if Antony did indeed sponsor the construction for its restoration. Nonetheless, the evidence for this is indeterminate, and the image could just as likely represent the shrine to Sol located on Quirinal Hill, which was the site of many altars and shrines to the gods. 

However, there is further evidence of a larger dedication to Sol in the Circus; Tertullian notes in his work On Spectacles that the Romans set up a temple to the sun in the middle of the Circus, with an image of the sun shining “forth from its temple summit.”[5] In this case, the image on the coin would be even more pertinent to Antony, being not only a symbol of victory but also one he had had a personal hand in promoting. It would thus serve to remind people of his dedication to them, as the restoration of the Circus Maximus was primarily for the people’s benefit. Nonetheless, uncertainties remain about the exact form the dedication to Sol in the Circus took – it is unclear if it was a small shrine or a temple. That said, it would make more sense if the structure in the Circus was grander than a simple shrine, as the Circus was the site of many important games and contests, and a deity representing victory surely needed to be conspicuous and front and centre for these activities. Or as Tertullian recounts, quite literally at the centre of the Circus. Furthermore, it follows that Marc Antony was making a reference to something far grander than a shrine on his coins, in order to reinforce the gravitas of his own achievements. Given that the shrine to Sol on Quirinal Hill is likely to have been a smaller structure and not as large as a proper temple, a temple to Sol in the Circus Maximus appears to be the most likely candidate for the structure depicted on this coin. 

Since this coin would have been circulated largely through military hands in Rome, the message of victory, as well as the self-promotion of Antony, would have served to both celebrate and endear Antony as a leader to his soldiers. It was widely known that the person who wins the favour of the Roman military also wields great political power. This coin reinforces Antony’s political agenda, while also promoting his deference to Rome and his prowess as a military leader. Ultimately, it was his way of establishing himself as the next worthy candidate to lead Rome. 

References

[1] Katsari 2003.

[2] Newman 1990.

[3] Angelova 2015.

[4] Swetnam-Burland 2015.

[5] Sheldon 2019.

Credits

Written by Katie Morris, photos by Charlotte Dunn, courtesy of the Otago Museum.