~History~

*The reverse side of this coin depicts the scene that occurred yearly at the Lanuvium at the festival in honor of Juno Sospita, when a virgin descended into the grotto under the temple with food for the serpent who dwelt there. If the girl selected for the ceremony was chaste, she returned safely to her home where there was much rejoicing. If she was not chaste she was destroyed by the serpent.

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ROMAN EMPIRE
Circa 509 B.C. to 476 A.D.

The Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires of all time. For over 1000 years it influenced the known world through its culture and military might. To insure its control and expansion efforts, it produced huge amounts of money in the form of COINS. The word "money" itself comes from the Roman (Latin) word "Moneta".

Roman imperial coins from 1st to 4th century A.D. portray the bust of the Emperor on the obverse side of the coin, with scenes of deities, historical events or political messages on the reverse side.

Prior to Augustus Caesar, Rome (Roma) was ruled by the Senate and was considered a Republic. Coins of this time period featured "gods and goddesses" that were important to the Roman people, as well as, scenes that depicted important battles, or events. Each "god or goddess" had their sphere of domain and influence. *(See Mythology)

Roman coins were made of gold, silver, bronze or some combination thereof. Many of the coins were newly minted before being buried some 1500 to 2000 years ago, and have been well cared for since recovery. Personal ownership and enjoyment of these historical ancient artifacts (in very fine condition) is possible because of the large numbers produced and preserved.