Quintus Pomponius Musa
Encyclopedia
Quintus Pomponius Musa was a magistrate
, moneyer
and banker during the Republican Period in Rome
, around 66 BC. He was a member of the Pomponius gens
.
According to the National Museum of Scotland
, moneyers commissioned designs, which often referred to famous ancestors, associations to favourite cults, or, as here, puns on their names. Musa created ten coin designs: one design for each of the nine Muses, a play on Musa's name; and one coin featuring the image of Hercules
with the inscription HERCULES MUSARUM (Hercules of the Muses). All ten designs depict the specific muse on the reverse
, while featuring the image of Apollo
on the obverse
; Apollo presided over the Muses.
When Hercules is represented, he is called Hercules Musarum, or Musageta, that is, "The leader of the Muses." He was known by this name in Greece, and later in Rome, when his statue and those of the nine Muses were brought from Greece, and the temple erected there for their reception. On other coins of Quintus Pomponius Musa the nine Muses appear arranged in the usual order, each distinguished by her emblem. The most distinct figure is that Urania
, from the Greek Ουρανος; she points with a staff to heaven, as the Muse of astronomy.
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, moneyer
Moneyer
A moneyer is someone who physically creates money. Moneyers have a long tradition, dating back at least to ancient Greece. They became most prominent in the Roman Republic, continuing into the empire.-Roman Republican moneyers:...
and banker during the Republican Period in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, around 66 BC. He was a member of the Pomponius gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
.
According to the National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the Royal Museum next door, with collections covering science and technology, natural history, and world...
, moneyers commissioned designs, which often referred to famous ancestors, associations to favourite cults, or, as here, puns on their names. Musa created ten coin designs: one design for each of the nine Muses, a play on Musa's name; and one coin featuring the image of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
with the inscription HERCULES MUSARUM (Hercules of the Muses). All ten designs depict the specific muse on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
, while featuring the image of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
on the obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
; Apollo presided over the Muses.
When Hercules is represented, he is called Hercules Musarum, or Musageta, that is, "The leader of the Muses." He was known by this name in Greece, and later in Rome, when his statue and those of the nine Muses were brought from Greece, and the temple erected there for their reception. On other coins of Quintus Pomponius Musa the nine Muses appear arranged in the usual order, each distinguished by her emblem. The most distinct figure is that Urania
Urania
Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
, from the Greek Ουρανος; she points with a staff to heaven, as the Muse of astronomy.
External links
- Ancient Coins at the Elvehjem Museum of Art
- National Museums of Scotland
- Mercure romain By Bernard Combet Farnoux
- The coin collector Manual by Henry Noel HumphreysHenry Noel HumphreysHenry Noel Humphreys , was a British illustrator, naturalist, entomologist , and numismatist.Humphreys, who studied medieval manuscripts in Italy as a young man, became an accomplished scholar in numerous subjects...