Obolos 18

M. Herennius, 108-107 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19.5 mm, 3.95 g, 1 h), Rome. PIE(TA)S Diademed head of Pietas to right, wearing pendant earring and pearl necklace. Rev. M · (HE)RENNI One of the Catanaean brothers running right, bearing his father on his shoulders; in right field, ·/S. Babelon (Herennia) 1. Crawford 308/1b. Sydenham 567a. Nicely struck and well centered. Very fine.

From the Trausnitz Collection, ex G. Hirsch 183, 20 September 1994, 842.

The brothers Amphinomus and Anapius from Catania in Sicily are said to have carried their aging parents upon their shoulders during an eruption of Mt. Etna. The familial devotion in doing this at the sacrifice of all their worldly possessions delighted the gods, who caused the fires around them to be parted, thus allowing the family to escape unharmed. Acts of familial piety were revered among the Romans, a people who worshiped their ancestors (the familial lares) and who considered themselves the descendants of Aeneas who likewise carried his family to safety from the devastation of Troy during its sack by the Greeks.