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Lot 73
Imperatorial Rome. Sextus Pompey, d. 35 BC. Gold Aureus (8.39 g), uncertain Sicilian mint, struck 42 BC. Bare head of Sextus Pompey right, with short beard; MAG. PIVS. IMP. ITER, all within oak wreath. Reverse: Confronted bare heads of Pompey the Great, at left, and Gnaeus Pompey, bearded, at right, lituus and tripod in field; PRAEF / CLAS. ET. ORAE. MARIT. EX. S. C. Fr-33; Craw 511/1; Sear I, 33; Biaggi 48; Syd. 1346; Vagi 28; Calicó 71. Kent-Hirmer 102 (same obverse die). A little double struck in left obverse field, otherwise portraits sharply and fully detailed. Lustrous, with excellent period likenesses. A superior example of this historical Roman issue. Very rare. NGC graded Uncirculated.
Sextus Pompey was one of the more complex and interesting players among the political elite who were either resisting, or abetting, the demise of the Roman Republic. Much of his adult military life was spent in opposition to Julius Caesar, his party, and followers. After Caesar's assassination, Sextus became the last significant focus of opposition to what was termed the second triumvirate: the official political alliance of Octavian (Caesar's nephew), the rich and influential Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony. After Sextus' death, this son of Pompey the Great was vilified at every turn by his rival in civil war, Octavian -- being dismissed as a mere pirate, and bandit. However, in his lifetime Sextus Pompey was acclaimed by the Roman populace for his virtues and military prowess which far outshone those of Octavian.
Sextus Pompey was the youngest son of Pompey the Great. His older brother was Gnaeus Pompey. Both boys grew up in the shadow of their father, one of Rome's finest generals and originally a non-conservative politician but who drifted to that faction when Julius Caesar's political ambitions were becoming alarming.
When Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC, thus starting civil war, Gnaeus Pompey followed their father in his escape to the East, as did most of Pompey's fellow conservative senators. Sextus stayed in Rome in the care of his stepmother. Pompey's army lost the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, and Pompey himself had to run for his life. Sextus and his stepmother rendezvoused with his father at Mytilene and together they fled to Egypt. There, Sextus watched as his father was killed by the treachery of King Ptolemy XIII. Fleeing Egypt, Sextus spent the subsequent years in the African provinces among the resistance groups that had formed against Caesar. Weapons and troops were being marshaled to oppose Caesar and his armies.
First victory went to Caesar at the battle at Thapsus in 46 BC. In 45 BC, Caesar managed to defeat the Pompey brothers in the battle of Munda, in southern Spain. His brother Gnaeus was taken there and executed. Young Sextus succeeded in escaping once more, this time to Sicily.
Back in Rome, Julius Caesar was murdered on the prophetic Ides of March (the 15th) 44 BC, by a faction of senators led by Caesar's adopted son (perhaps in fact his own illegitimate son), Brutus. This assassination did not lead to a return to normality, but provoked yet another civil war - this time between Caesar's political heirs and his assassins and their pro-Republican adherents. The Second Triumvirate was formed with the intention of avenging Caesar and subduing all opposition. To defuse for the moment the Pompeian factions in Sicily, Lepidus made a settlement with Sextus, and he was given command of a Roman fleet in 43 BC. With the whole island as his base, Sextus now had the time and resources to develop an army and, even more importantly, a strong navy (operated by Sicilian marines) to make cause with the Republicans.
Brutus and Cassius lost the twin battles of Philippi and committed suicide in 42 BC. After this, the triumvirs turned their attentions once more to Sicily and Sextus. Now declared outlaw by Rome, Sextus purportedly seized Sicily -- though it is likely that much of the "seizure" is due to his persuading the cities to aid the Republican cause. With his clout and strong military presence on the island, Sextus could now impede Sicily's grain shipments to Rome. In the following years, repeated military confrontations failed to result in a conclusive victory for either side.
In 39 BC, an accommodation between Sextus and the triumvirs resulted in the Peace of Misenum. The reason for this armistice was the need of Antony for troops against the threatening Parthian Empire. However, the peace did not last long. Octavian's and Antony's frequent quarrels were a strong political motivation for resuming the war against Sextus. Octavian tried again to conquer Sicily, but he was defeated in 37 BC and again in the following August of 36 BC. But a turnabout was to happen now that Octavian had a very talented general, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, at his side.
Only a month afterwards, Agrippa destroyed Sextus' navy on the shores of Naulochus. Sextus escaped to the East and, by abandoning Sicily, lost all of his base of support there. Sextus was eventually caught in Miletus in 35 BC and executed there without trial (technically an illegal act since Sextus was a Roman citizen) by one of Antony's minions. Octavian would later use this execution as ammunition against Antony when their relationship finally became adversarial. Like Sextus, Antony too would later wind up dead at the hands of Rome.
Estimated Value $50,000 - 60,000.
Illustrated in Money of the World, coin 32.
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| Realized $60,375 |
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