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Description:

The silver denarius coin was first introduced as currency by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. It became the principal denomination in the Roman World for the next 5 centuries and one denarius was around two days' pay for a Legionnaire. This Roman denarius coin was minted in Rome by moneyer L. Rustius in 76 BC. The obverse side features the youthful head of Mars, wearing a crested helmet ornamented with a plume and annulet, while the reverse side shows a ram standing right.
In ancient Roman mythology, Mars was the god of war, an agricultural guardian and a father of the Roman people. He was second in importance only to the king of the gods, Jupiter. Mars was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions. He was also believed to be the father of the twins Romulus and Remus, whom were the original founders of Rome.
The festivals for Mars were held in March, the month named for him (Latin Martius) and in October. These months began and ended the season for military campaigning and farming. Although Mars was the god of war, he was not viewed as a destructive force. Instead, Mars represented military power as a way to secure peace.