Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma right, M. CIPI.
M. F. before
Reverse: Victory in biga, rudder below horses,
ROMA in exergue
The bust of the goddess Roma, with its winged
helmet, is a popular obverse type during the
Republican period. The helmet itself is
reminiscent of Hellenistic and Roman helmets of
the time period, categorized by scholars as the
Italo-Attic type. Officers and deities are often
depicted as wearing this helmet long after such a
design had gone into general disuse by the
military. As such, it continued to be employed
as a symbol connected with deities and heroic
figures of the past. The winged goddess Victory,
parallel to the Greek Nike, was a common figure
on coins, often seen driving a chariot, or flying
above another deity who is driving. Occasionally,
a diminutive Victory is held in the hand of the
goddess Athena.
Crawford 289/1. RSC Cipia 1.