Publius Licinius Nerva was one of the moneyers for the year 113-112 BC.
As Praetor he served as Governor of Sicily in 104 BC, at the outbreak of the Second Servile War. Having failed to put down a slave revolt which then rapidly escalated into the Second Servile War he was replaced at the end of his term by Lucius Licinius Lucullus.
Gens Licinia was a celebrated plebeian family at Rome, which appears from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times, and which eventually obtained the imperial dignity. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Licinius Calvus Stolo, who, as tribune of the plebs from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of any of the annual magistrates, until the patricians acquiesced to the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia, or Licinian Rogations. This law, named for Licinius and his colleague, Lucius Sextius, opened the consulship for the first time to the plebeians.
As Praetor he served as Governor of Sicily in 104 BC, at the outbreak of the Second Servile War. Having failed to put down a slave revolt which then rapidly escalated into the Second Servile War he was replaced at the end of his term by Lucius Licinius Lucullus.
Gens Licinia was a celebrated plebeian family at Rome, which appears from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times, and which eventually obtained the imperial dignity. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Licinius Calvus Stolo, who, as tribune of the plebs from 376 to 367 BC, prevented the election of any of the annual magistrates, until the patricians acquiesced to the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia, or Licinian Rogations. This law, named for Licinius and his colleague, Lucius Sextius, opened the consulship for the first time to the plebeians.
Obverse: bust of Roma left wearing helmet, holding spear and shield decorated with horseman; crescent above ROMA (XVI)
Reverse: two citizens casting ballots in the Comitium, attendant handing voting tablet to one citizen, screen behind surmounted by marker with initial "P" representing the voting tribe P·(NE)RVA
Diameter:
16.5 mm
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 3.9 g
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 3.9 g
Issue probably commemorates enclosure of voting place introduced in 145 BC by moneyer's ancestor Licinius Crassus tribune of the Plebs in order to prevent disagreements and favoritism. Other possibilities are: Lex Maria de suffragiis 119 BC which restricted bridges leading to the ballot box in order to prevent from inspecting voting tables and lobbying which was introduced by C. Marius tribune of the Plebs, or lex agraria from 111 BC which should have reconsiled land disputies related to the lex Licinia Sextia from 367 BC, however this would have shifted date of the issue by two years later.
Crawford 292/1, SRCV I 169, Sydenham 548, RSC I Licinia 7