Remarks upon a Denarius of the Veturian Family, with an Etruscan Inscription on the Reverse, Never before Published. In a Letter to Mathew Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy Degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany

XXXVIII. Remarks upon a Denarius of the Veturian Family, with an Etruscan Inscription on the Reverse, never before published. In a Letter to Mathew Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. Good Sir, I HAVE now in my small cabinet (see Tab. XII. n. 1.) a Samnite-Etruscan denarius, brought some years since by a gentleman of this University from Rome, resembling one of the Veturian family, by me formerly explained, in every particular but the legend or inscription, on the reverse, and the letter in the exergue. As it will be needless to repeat what has already been said, relative to this species of coins, I shall beg leave to refer, for a description of the medal before me, to one of (1) my (1) Philosoph. Transact. Vol. LII. Par. I. p. 28—39. former papers; and confine myself at present to the consideration of the inscription on the reverse, which seems to merit the attention of the curious, and has not hitherto been communicated to the learned world. An attempt therefore to interpret this will not, I would flatter myself, prove unacceptable to the Royal Society; especially, as some light may possibly be thereby thrown on several other similar coins. The inscription now in view consisted originally, as I apprehend, of either five or six letters. If M. be taken for the prenomen here, the number of them amounted only to five; but if NI. be supposed to precede the name on this piece, six undoubtedly at first appeared. I was for some time disposed to close with the former of these notions, as M. is a prenomen that sometimes occurs on the consulat coins; as the three perpendiculars forming so considerable a part of the Samnite-Etruscan M are not always equidistant from one another, on such medals as that before me; and as one of the transverse lines of the Samnite-Etruscan character representing that element, on these coins, might have been easily effaced by the injuries of time. But examining the letters with greater attention, I afterwards found myself rather inclined to pronounce that part of the inscription terminated by a point NI. though such a prenomen has, perhaps, been scarce ever hitherto discovered on any antient monument. However, I will not presume to determine absolutely in favour of either of these points, though one of them must certainly be true. The former receives some countenance from two coins of Papius Mutilus, in my little collection, which exhibit the middle perpendicular of the Samnite- nite-Etruscan M as not equidistant from the other two; and the latter, in my opinion, appears at least equally probable from the face of the inscription. Accurate (2) draughts of both these medals of Papius Mutilus, one of which is in the finest conservation, may be seen in the table referred to here. Of the two foregoing notions that will be judged the most agreeable to truth, which seems the most eligible to the learned. The prenomen being thus dispatched, I proceed to the name of the Italian commander preserved on this coin. The first letter is apparently the Etruscan L. The second is as evidently V, adorned with the Samnite-Etruscan accent, which (3) gave it the power of the Greek diphthong ΟΥ, or ov. This here is only a point, equidistant from the two sides; which confirms what I formerly suggested, in relation to (4) that accent. It is very visible on the medal I am now endeavouring to throw some light upon. Part of the third letter has been defaced, but the remainder sufficiently indicates it to have been the Samnite-Etruscan P. Some faint traces of both sides of the fourth element appear, which will probably be allowed to announce it v. The Samnite-Etruscan accent in the former V, which conferred upon it the power of ΟΥ, or ov, and distinguished it from the simple v, however, does not present itself to our view here. Thus stand the characters forming part of a name which, if I am not much mistaken, will soon be more fully explained. (2) Philosoph. Transact. Vol. LVIII. Tab. XII. n. 2, 3. p. 255. (3) Philosoph. Transact. Vol. LII. Par. I. p. 32, 33. (4) Philosoph. Transact. Vol. LII. Par. I. p. 33. As neither the Samnites nor the Etruscans had in their alphabet o, they used the simple unaccented v for that element. This is evident from the celebrated tables of Gubbio, from the coins of Papius Mutilus, and from other Etruscan and Samnite remains of antiquity. This we also learn from (5) Festus, (6) Quintilian, and other antient writers of good repute. I shall therefore not scruple to consider the last letter of the inscription I am now upon, supposing it v, as I verily believe it was, as equivalent to the Latin or Roman o, and consequently shall read the four elements at first impressed upon the coin LVPO. This I would also look upon as part of the name LVPONIUS, though I question whether or no that name has been ever yet observed on any other monument. Be that, however, as it will, the truth of my notion, from what immediately follows, will, I flatter myself, more clearly appear. The Lucanian forces acted under the orders of M. Lamponius and Tiberius Cleptius, two generals of very considerable note, in the Social war. The former of these, according to (7) Appian, distinguished himself by the defeat of a body of Roman troops, under the command of Licinius Crassus, and the siege of Grumentum, in Lucania, either in the first or second campaign of that war. As therefore, by such a blow, he must have rendered no small service to the common cause; 'tis natural to suppose, that the allies did him the honour of impressing his name on some of their coins. And that (5) S. Pomp. Fest. p. 339. Lutetiae Parisiorum, 1681. (6) M. Fab. Quintilian. Lib. I. c. 4. Mar. Ver. Flac. apud Fest. ubi sup. (7) Appian. Alexandrin. De Bel. Civil. p. 375. this was really the case, we may fairly presume, as Papius Mutilus (8) and Tiberius Veturius, two other Italian generals, his contemporaries, were actually treated with the same mark of distinction, at the same time, for their laudable conduct in the Social war. This we learn (9) from several antient medals, adorned with the names of those commanders, that have been heretofore explained. I would therefore convert the M. LAMPOIVS of the printed copies of Appian into M. or NI. LVPOIVS (10), the prenomen and name pointed out to us by my coin. I say M. or NI. LVPOIVS, because it seems altogether immaterial whether we assume M. or NI. for the prenomen here; though the latter of these, I believe, has scarce ever hitherto occurred on any of either the Roman or Etruscan remains of antiquity. Notwithstanding which, I find myself inclined to prefer it to the other, as has been intimated above. And in farther support of this preference it may be remarked, that NI. in a manuscript might easily have been taken for M., so similar are they to each other (especially if the side of N next to I had been by any accident defaced), by a careless transcriber. The medal itself most certainly seems to determine in favour of this opinion, though what the complete prenomen represented by NI. really was, I must not at present take upon me absolutely to decide. (8) Philosop. Transact. Vol. LI. Par. II. p. 853—865, &c. Vol. LII. Par. I. p. 28—39. (9) Philosop. Transact. ubi sup. (10) Perhaps the prenomen of this commander was Nigidius. Other generals of the confederated rebels were denominated Herius Afinius, Marius Egnatius, &c. which may possibly seem to give a fort of sanction to such an opinion. Aut. Epit. Livian. Vell. Paterc. Appian. &c. Vol. LVIII. L I From From what has been said it appears highly probable, that M. or NI, LVPOIVS stood originally in the text of Appian, or rather in that of Cornelius Sisenna (11), who gave a very minute and particular description of the Social war, or of some other Latin author followed by the Greek historian. That writer therefore seems to be emended, in the instance before us, by my coin; which will perhaps be allowed to have brought to light the true name of an Italian general, who commanded a body of the confederated rebels in the Social war, that had been lost for many ages. And this is rendered still more probable by the Samnite-Etruscan accent, which makes the first υ in that name equivalent to the Greek diphthong ΟΥ, or ov. For that diphthong and L form the first syllable of LVPOVS, or ΛΟΥΠΟΣ, from whence the word LVPOIVS seems apparently to have been derived, as we learn from the text of (12) Appian. Nor can it be denied, that (13) LVPIVS and LVPOIVS are, by analogy, as naturally deducible from the Roman or Italian cognomen LVPOVS as APRIVS and APRONIVS (14) are from APER: whereas LAM- (11) Corn. Sisen. Hist. Lib. IV. apud Non. Marcel. in voc. CONVENIRE, cap. iv. col. 633. l. 48, 49, 50. Genovae, 1622. (12) Appian. Alexandrin. De Bel. Civil. Lib. I. p. 374. Amstelodami, 1670. (13) Lud. Ant. Murator. Nov. Thesaur. Inscript. &c. p. 1264. Vid. etiam Ind. Universi. Class. 17 p. 2302. Mediolani, 1742. (14) The family name APRINIVS, which sometimes occurs, seems to be altogether the same with APRONIVS; the position of I in the place of O, and O in the place of I, having not been uncommon amongst the antients. Of this QVICVM for QVOCVM, DIE CRASTINI for DIE CRASTINO, AGNOTVS for AGNITVS, OLLI for ILLI, to omit many other instances that PONIVS, PONIVS, the name exhibited by the printed copies of the last mentioned author, seems to carry along with it the air of a depravation; since no Greek or Latin source, from whence we can, with sufficient propriety, suppose it to flow, presents itself to our view. From the preceding observations, which, I flatter myself, will be deemed by no means remote from truth, it will follow, that the medal before me is to be attributed to the Veturian and Luponian families. But instances of this kind (15) pretty frequently occur. The names of Tiberius Veturius and C. Papius Mutilus are (16) exhibited by another Samnite-Etruscan denarius, of the same age with this, which I have formerly explained; and several Roman consular coins struck about the time of the Social war, and the following age, adorned with the names of two illustrious (17) persons of different families, are to be met with in the cabinets of the great and the curious at this very day. If what has been here advanced should meet with the approbation of the learned, they will not read might be adduced, are incontestable proofs. In like manner LUPINIVS and LUPONIVS might, by analogy, have been deemed antiently the same name; the second syllable of the latter of which the Samnites and Etruscans, for want of o, undoubtedly wrote PV. Lud. Ant. Murat. Nov. Thefaur. Vet. Inscrip. Tom. III. p. mccc. n. 12. Mediolani, 1740. Joh. Nic. Func. De Adolescent. Lat. Ling. Tract. p. 324. Marburgi Cat-torum, 1723. (15) Vid. Vaill. Patin. Morell. & Sig. Haverc. in Num. Fam. Rom. (16) Philosiph. Transfalt. Vol. LII. Par. I. p. 21—39. (17) Philosiph. Transfalt. ubi sup. p. 31. the short inscription I have been considering NIGR- DIVS LVPPVS, which I was once inclined to do; as a person of that name is not, I believe, to be met with in the whole circle of antiquity. Such a lection as this would not have the sanction of any antient writer, of any antient coin, or of any other antient monument; whereas my lection, or rather my interpretation of what I conceive to be the true lection, of this name, is supported by the authority of Appian, which in its turn likewise receives no small accession of strength from this interpretation. I shall only beg leave to add, that this interpreta- tion, if admitted by the learned, will also enable us to add the Luponian family, as a new one, to those collected by Dr. Vaillant and M. Morell, whose names, together with some of the actions of their most illustrious members, have been handed down to us, through a long series of ages, by antient coins; and that I am, with great truth, SIR, Your most obedient humble servant, Christ-Church, Oxon. Octob. 31, 1768. John Swinton. XXXIX. De-