Apologies for the title, but that’s exactly what this coin depicts.
L. TITURIUS L.F. SABINUS. Denarius (89 BC). Rome.
Obv: SABIN. Bareheaded and bearded head of King Tatius right; monogram to right.
Rev: L TITVRI. Two soldiers, facing each other, each carrying off a Sabine woman in his arms.
Crawford 344/1a.
Condition: good-very fine.
Weight: 3,7 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.
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The “Rape of the Sabine Women” is a legendary event in the early history of Rome, where the first generation of Roman men, lacking wives to establish families, organized a festival and invited neighboring Sabine people. During the festivities, the Romans abducted the Sabine women and forced them into marriage. The act led to a war between the Romans and Sabines, which eventually ended when the Sabine women, now wives and mothers of Roman children, intervened to broker peace, effectively merging the two communities. This narrative, albeit fraught with violence and patriarchal dynamics, was traditionally interpreted as a foundational myth explaining the growth and consolidation of Roman society.
To add to this, Republican moneyers often used the office to create coins with motifs associated with both their gens (tribe/family), here Gens Tituria, and their family name, here Sabinus.
And so here we have a coin featuring King Tatius and the famous abduction (rape) of the Sabine women.