Brutus’ Eid Mar Denarius
A Roman denarius with a legendary backstory is set to go under the hammer at an Online Auction on 15 March. This is the denarius Brutus had minted in connection with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. The estimate is DKK 3–3.5 million.
Caesar could not escape his fate when he was assassinated by a large group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus, on 15 March in 44 BC. To honour himself and celebrate the bloody deed, Brutus commissioned the minting of one of today’s most significant and telling historic objects.
On 15 March, 2023, the denarius that Brutus had minted to celebrate the assassination of Caesar will go under the hammer at Bruun Rasmussen with an estimate of DKK 3-3.5 million.
A Significant Object from Antiquity
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Weighing just 3.48 grams, this historical artefact may appear small but nevertheless carries with it a particularly magnificent and dramatic backstory. According to several eminent researchers, professional numismatists and collectors, the denarius up for auction is the most significant and important of all ancient numismatic objects in world history. On the obverse side of the denarius is a right-facing portrait of Brutus. On the reverse side, a liberty cap is stamped between two daggers, symbolizing the assassination of Caesar. This is an expression of the effective propaganda that was used at the time. Written under the liberty cap is the wording “Eid Mar”, which means “15 March” – the day of the murder. |
“This denarius was even famous during the Roman imperial period itself. It has been a highly sought after item since the Renaissance, yet unattainable for most. We are therefore extremely excited to be able to offer an object of such historical note which shines through millennia of human history. And of course the denarius will be sold on precisely 15 March here in 2023,”
says Michael Fornitz, Chief Numismatist at Bruun Rasmussen
“Et tu, Brute?”Since Caesar’s assassination, Brutus has had the reputation of being one of the most notorious “villains” in world history, perhaps surpassed only by Judas, with whom the Italian author Dante places Brutus side by side in hell. Today, more than 2,000 years after the murder of Caesar, the expression: “Et tu, Brute?” is still heard and used to express a feeling of betrayal. In the English-speaking world, the expression “Beware the Ides of March” has also been used since Shakespeare’s day to warn of ominous future events. |
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For further information, please contact:
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Michael FornitzMichael FornitzChief Numismatist / Coins, Medals & Banknotes / Glostrup |
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Michael MärcherMichael MärcherHead of Department / Coins, Medals & Banknotes |