Obverse: Helmeted head of Rome left, holding in left shield inscribed with horseman galloping, spear in right over shoulder; star before; crescent moon above; ROMA behind
Reverse: A voting scene in the Commitum; Walking across the pons, on the left a voter receives a ballot from the rogator below; to the right another voter places his ballot in the cista; [Above a tablet with P sits on a tribunes chair;] below P NERVA
Originally, Roman voting was public for court cases, legislation, and elections. However, the secret ballot was introduced in the late 2nd century. The coin’s reverse shows how magistrates were elected. A citizen received a tablet, crossed a bridge, and cast their vote in a basket. Each ballot was hinged with “P” (pro) on one side and the candidate’s name on the other.
Harriet Flower, in Roman Republics, sees the secret ballot as marking the end of one Republic and start of another. Previously, the Senate and its nobiles used client-patron ties and ancestral custom (mos morum) to sway votes. Now, the closed nature of voting blunted those forces, opening space for powerful tribunes in the Forum who sought to harness the force of the people.
The secret ballot aimed to increase liberty, but powerful figures still sought control. Notably, this reverse shows several voter protection features: the walkway is narrow, so only one person can walk at a time and is raised to prevent crowd interference. In the end, bribery undermined these reforms. By 63 BCE, Caesar leveraged all his assets and took on crushing debts to lavishly bribe voters for Pontifex Maximus. As he left for the polls, he reportedly told his mother, “I will either return the Pontifex or not return at all.”
The moneyer, P. Licinius Nerva, as Propraetor of Sicily in 104 BCE, was ordered to investigate whether publicani were illegally enslaving Italian allies. He established a tribunal, but whether due to bribery or weakness, abruptly halted proceedings and returned claimants to their masters. With hopes crushed and fearing reprisal, the enslaved revolted, sparking the Second Servile War.
Details
- Issuer:
- P. Licinius Nerva
- Obverse:
- Helmeted head of Rome left, holding in left shield inscribed with horseman galloping, spear in right over shoulder; star before; crescent moon above; ROMA behind
- Reverse:
- A voting scene in the Commitum; Walking across the pons, on the left a voter receives a ballot from the rogator below; to the right another voter places his ballot in the cista; [Above a tablet with P sits on a tribunes chair;] below P NERVA
- Denomination:
- Denarius
- Mint:
- Rome
- Metal:
- Silver
- Weight:
- 3.85g
- Diameter:
- 18mm
- Grade:
- VF
- Reference:
- Crawford 292/1; BMCRR Rome 526; RBW 1125