Diademed head of Bonus Eventus right; LIBO downward behind; BON • EVENT downward before / Puteal Scribonianum (Scribonian wellhead), decorated with garland and two lyres; hammer at base; PVTEAL above; SCRIBON in exergue. Crawford 416/1a; Sydenham 928; Scribonia 8a; BMCRR Rome 3377-80; RBW 1500. Good very fine.
Though a puteal is often described as a "wellhead," the Puteal Scribonianum depicted here was a walled enclosure erected around the spot of a lightning strike in the Roman Forum. The Romans believed such spots were marked by the gods, and hence worthy of veneration. Erected circa 204 BC by a member of the Libo clan, the Puteal became a popular meeting spot for money lenders and merchants. |