Issued during the Second Punic War, and featuring a divine portrait of fine style, this anonymous republican denarius is packed with imagery quite befitting a nation at war. The obverse depicts a laureate portrait of Jupiter, Rome’s central deity. In this version, Jupiter is crowned victorious with a laurel wreath. With its origins clouded in myth and history, but potentially dating back to the earliest Ancient Greek Olympic and Pythian games, certainly by Roman times the laurel wreath signified victory and strength. Compounding this sense of triumph, the reverse design shows the robed figure of Victory as she crowns a military trophy. Quite simply this coin is proclaiming Rome has been, is, and will be victorious over their arch enemy the Carthaginians!