Family background Faustus was the only surviving son of the
Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his fourth wife,
Caecilia Metella, and thus was a member of one of the most ancient
patrician families, the
Cornelii. After his father's death in 78 BC, he and his twin sister,
Fausta, were brought up by his guardian and father's friend,
Lucullus. Faustus married
Pompeia Magna, daughter of
Pompey the Great. Faustus accompanied Pompey on his Asian campaigns, and was the first to climb over the walls of the
Temple of Jerusalem when it was stormed by
Pompey in 63 BC. After his return to
Rome, he gave gladiatorial games to celebrate his father in 60. At an unknown time before 57, Faustus Sulla became
augur. As owner of the central slopes of
Mount Falernus, his name became synonymous with the most esteemed wine in ancient Rome, Faustian
Falernian.
Triumvir monetalis (56 BC) Faustus became
triumvir monetalis in 56 BC, together with
Lucius Marcius Philippus and Gaius Considius Nonianius. He had an important activity as moneyer, producing four types of
denarius, which celebrate with an elaborate imagery both his father Sulla and father-in-law Pompey.
Michael Crawford dated all the coins to 56, but other dates have been suggested: H. A. Grueber favoured 62 for the two denarii about Sulla, while Michael Harlan proposed 55. Both preferred 54 for those about Pompey, because they bore the letters SC, for
senatus consulto, which makes Harlan think that they belong to Faustus' time as quaestor that year. •
Diana/Bocchus monument: This denarius features the head of
Diana, to whom Sulla had paid a vow of gratitude after his
victory at the Mount Tifata during
Sulla's Civil War in 83 BC. Her presence on his coinage shows that Faustus thought he inherited his father's connection with her. The
lituus refers to Faustus election to the
augurate by 57 BC; its association with Diana likely means that he thought she was behind his success. The reverse depicts the capture of
Jugurtha to Sulla that ended the
Jugurthine War in 106. Jugurtha was betrayed by his father-in-law king
Bocchus of Mauretania, who arrested him during fake peace talks and delivered him to Sulla. In 91 BC, Bocchus sent to Rome as a gift a monument with gilded statues that reproduced the scene of Jugurtha's capture, but upset
Gaius Marius, who had been Sulla's commander and the official winner of the war. The scene on the coin is a reproduction of the statues, with Sulla shown enthroned, Bocchus at his feet and Jugurtha in chains, which also featured on Sulla's signet ring. This group of statues was placed on the
Capitol, where Marius had built his trophy for winning the later
Cimbrian War. This conflict through monuments resulted in the destruction of both groups of statues during the
civil war of the 80s BC, but Julius Caesar as
aedile rebuilt Marius' monument in 65 BC. Faustus' coin is therefore an attempt to restore his father's legacy in opposition to Caesar's restoration of Marius' memory. •
Hercules/Diana: This second denarius with the head of
Hercules wearing the
Nemean Lion's skin. Michael Crawford suggests that it also refers to the capture of Jugurtha, which the family tradition of Sulla associated with the favour of Hercules. The god also featured in Sulla's pantheon, as before celebrating his triumph over Mithridates in 82, he gave 10% of his fortune to Hercules. It was during the luxurious feat in honour of Hercules that Faustus' mother
Caecilia Metella died. Sulla moreover restored the
temple of Hercules Custos in Rome. The reverse shows Diana walking the heavens, another reference to her favour towards Faustus to get the augurate. •
Venus/three trophies: The remaining two denarii celebrate Pompey. Faustus signed his coins with a monogram that conceals his name, while the denarii commemorating his father bore his name "Faustus" and cognomen "Felix". The head of Venus is featured on the obverse, while the reverse shows three trophies. It is a copy of Pompey's signet ring, which is itself an imitation of Sulla's second signet ring made after the
battle of Chaeronea, won in 86 BC against
Archelaus during the
First Mithridatic War. Sulla had erected two trophies on the battle site, which made a lasting impression the Greek world; they were still commented by
Pausanias and
Plutarch two centuries after the event. The lituus and jug on either side of the trophies allude to Pompey's augurate, which he received before 59 BC. The three trophies celebrates Pompey's victories over three continents (Africa, Europe and Asia), also celebrated during his triple triumph of 61 BC •
Hercules/four wreaths: Like Sulla, Pompey was devoted to both Venus and Hercules, featured on this denarius, as he dedicated a temple for each god on the same day (12 August). The reverse shows one large wreath at the top, which alludes to the gold crown (
corona aurea) Pompey received in 63 BC from two
tribunes of the plebs (
Titus Labienus and Titus Ampius), as part of an unprecedented set of honours given to him. == Later career ==