Hill, George Francis: Historical Roman coins: from the earliest times to the reign of Augustus (London: Constable & Co. Ltd, 1909)

HISTORICAL ROMAN COINS
for a brief period, and the Senate’s authority was
recognized, in that this money bore the letters S C
(Senatus consulto). These letters, indeed, continued to
mark, with few exceptions, all the coins of copper,
bronze or brass, for nearly two and a-half centuries, as
issued by the authority of the Senate. But the gold
and silver coinage always retained the character which
had been given it in the years with which we are
dealing. The imperial coinage of Rome thus begins
not with the year 27 b.c., but some ten years earlier.
The types on the reverses here described are obvious
in their personal reference. Anton, son of Hercules,
was claimed by the Antonii as the founder of their
race. Aeneas appears on the coins of Octavian as
founder of the lulii. The Vestal is presumably the
Aemilia who, when the fire of which she was in charge
went out, prayed to the goddess and, throwing a
piece of her robe on the embers, miraculously re-
kindled the flame. Yet the Romans who saw a Vestal
represented on the coins of an Aemilius could hardly
fail to remember first of all the scandal of the Vestal
Aemilia who for her unchastity paid the penalty of
death in 114 b.c.
CASSIUS AT RHODES.
43 b.c.
75. Obv. Head of Liberty r., laureate; behind,
C CASSEI IMR

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