The Mythic Family

By presenting a narrative which Sextus was seemingly so aligned with, he was able to achieve much more than a simple connection between his own family and a mythic representation of familial pietas. During this time in the Late Roman Republic, Sextus’ main political opponent, Octavian, was also minting coins that referenced an ancient mythic Roman figure (RRC 494/3a). Featured both in Julius Caesar’s and Octavian’s coinage, the character of Aeneas was used to a similar effect that the Catanaean brothers were, by making clear allusions to the idea of pietas in regards to the Caesarean line. It is easy to see the similarities between the two narratives: Amphinomus and Anapis carried their parents from the lava of Mount Aetna in Catania, and Aeneas carried his father, son, and the penates, the family gods out of burning Troy to safety. Both act out of pietas and leave all frivolous all material possessions behind. Sextus made personal connections to the Catanaean brothers through his Picenum heritage and presence in Sicily, while Octavian was able to highlight his ancestral connection to Aeneas through the Iulii lineage. Both men vying for power in Rome were using coinage that reinforced the Roman value of pietas, through connecting themselves to the mythical Roman figures who displayed it.

Although Octavian had a more compelling connection to Aeneas as a descendent through the Iulii line than Sextus had to the Catanaean brothers, it is possible that the significance of the two myths, and therefore the impact of the associated iconography, would have varying levels of success. The myth of Aeneas became a cornerstone of Roman values by the early Empire, and it was integral to Octavian’s later social and cultural reforms. However, the widespread acknowledgement of ‘pious Aeneas’ was heavily due to Virgil’s Aeneid, which would not be completed until 19 BC. In 40 BC, it is not certain that the character of Aeneas had anywhere near the immediate associative value towards pietas in the public conscious that the Catanaean brothers certainly would have had. [1]

It is also valuable to interpret the scene on the reverse of RRC 511/3a through a figurative lens. While the Catanaean brothers are symbolic of pietas and convey a mythic and historic significance, it is also possible to interpret Amphinomus and Anapis as representations of Sextus and his elder brother, Gnaeus. By identifying the figures in that way, it works to strengthen the connections Sextus made through the imagery to express familial pietas. Furthermore, an accepted interpretation of Pompey the Great connects his imagery with that of Neptune, which is further explored here. Consequently, the reverse of RRC 511/3a has yet another layer of interpretation. Alongside the significance that the individual figures of Neptune and the Catanaean brothers bring to the coin, viewing the three figures together and understanding that they can be figuratively interpreted as representations of Pompey the Great, Gnaeus Pompeius the Younger, and Sextus Pompeius, gives a final, indisputable, scene of familial pietas, laden with cultural and mythical significance.

[1] Galinsky (1969). 8-11.