Reverse of a denarius depicting the Abduction of the Sabine Women - two soldiers can be seen carrying two women away.
The Abduction of the Sabine Women is a huge turning point in Roman legend and history. In its earliest days, Rome was a city of men. Needing wives, the Romans invited a neighboring tribe, called the Sabines, to a festival. At a certain point, King Romulus gives the signal—and the Romans proceed to abduct women of marrying age. The event leads to war and, ultimately, a peace is brokered by the abducted Sabine women themselves, now the wives and mothers of Romans. The result is one of Rome’s first and most important alliances, that with the Sabines.
I’ve included this coin because the story of the Abduction of the Sabine Women is interwoven with the story—and eventual punishment—of the Vestal Virgin Tarpeia. For a larger article on Tarpeia, read: Tarpeia and the Early Days of Rome. You’ll also find several depictions of Tarpeia here in the Gallery, so keep browsing!