1 Denarius Roman Republic (509BC-27BC) Silver

Roman Republic, Q. Titius (90 BC) Silver Denarius

Mint Place: Rome

Mint Year: ca. 90 BC
Denomination: Denarius

Reference: Crawford 341/1, BMCRR Rome 2220, RSC Titia 1.

Weight: 3.61gm
Material: Silver

Obverse: Bearded head of Mutinus Titinus to right, wearing winged diadem, lock of hair falling down neck.

Legend: M ANT GORDIANVS CAES

Reverse: Pegasus springing to right on tablet.

The Social War (from Latin bellum sociale, ie a ‘war of the allies’), also called the Italian War or the Marsic War, was fought largely from 91 to 87 BC between the Roman Republic and several of its autonomous allies (socii) in Italy. Some of the allies held out until 87 BC.

The war started in late 91 BC, with the rebellion of Asculum. Other Italian towns quickly declared for the rebels and the Roman response was initially confused. By the new year, the Romans had levied huge armies to crush the rebels but found initial headway difficult; by the end of the year, however, they were able to cut the Italian rebels into two, isolating them into northern and southern sectors. The Romans then brought the lex Julia, allowing Italian towns to elect Roman citizenship if they had not revolted or would otherwise put down arms. As support drained from the Italians, they attempted to invade Etruria and Umbria at the start of 89 BC but were defeated. In the south, they were defeated by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who for his victories would win a consulship the next year. The Romans retained the initiative and by 88 BC, the conflict was largely over and Roman attention had been captured by the ongoing First Mithridatic War. The few Italians on the field by 87 BC eventually reached a negotiated settlement during a short civil war that year.

Views differ as to the causes of the war. The main ancient source for the period is the relatively late Appian, who wrote in the imperial period during the 2nd century AD. His narrative is largely one based on demands of the allies for Roman citizenship, a coveted status in his day. Other historians, most especially Henrik Mouritsen, have focused instead on a perceived alternative tradition which has the Italian allies rebelling against Roman hegemony and designs on their lands.

The massive expansion of the citizenship that followed the Social war remained a politically-charged topic, especially in terms of how they would be allocated into voting blocks. Disputes over enfranchisement played a role in Sulla’s march on Rome in 88 BC to depose plebeian tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus. Fears of Sulla rolling back hard-won Italian rights contributed to resistance during Sulla’s civil war. The conflict also blurred the distinction between Romans and their enemies; the presence of large armies in Italy during the war also provided opportunities for generals to seize power extralegally. For these reasons and others, some historians believe the conflict played an important role in setting up the collapse of the republic.

In ancient Roman religion, Mutunus Tutunus or Mutinus Titinus was a phallic marriage deity, in some respects equated with Priapus. His shrine was located on the Velian Hill, supposedly since the founding of Rome, until the 1st century BC. During preliminary marriage rites, Roman brides are supposed to have straddled the phallus of Mutunus to prepare themselves for intercourse, according to Church Fathers who interpreted this act as an obscene loss of virginity. The Christian apologist Arnobius says that Roman matrons were taken for a ride (inequitare) on Tutunus’s “awful phallus” with its “immense shameful parts”, but other sources specify that it is brides who learned through the ritual not to be embarrassed by sex: “Tutinus, upon whose shameful lap sit brides, so that the god seems to sample their shame before the fact.” The 2nd-century grammarian Festus is the only classical Latin source to take note of the god, and the characterization of the rite by Christian sources is likely to be hostile or biased.