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Roman Republic, Denarius

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Roman Republic, Denarius (obverse) Roman Republic, Denarius (reverse)

This denarius was minted in 78 BC. The obverse depicts the hero Hercules with a lion's skin over his head. The reverse shows a boar, identified as the Boar of Mount Erymanthus.

According to Greek mythology, the Erymanthian Boar was a giant fear-inspiring creature of the wilds that lived on Mount Erymanthos. One of Hercules' twelve labors required him to carry the huge boar alive back to Mycenae.

This coin is part of a series of five types of denarii issued by the moneyer identified as M. VOLTEI. M. F. on the reverse. The different designs on these denarii relate to the five most important Roman festivals. This one refers to the Ludi Plebeii, games for the people of Rome held in honor of Hercules (the Greek Heracles).

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