53-52 BCE is a scary year for Rome. Violence meant elections weren’t held. Pompey took on a sole consulship and for a time it looked like that was the end of the principle of collegiality in the highest magistracies. It’s hard to imagine what living through that was like.
One window is offered by perhaps my favorite coin (RRC 435/1) which is rich anti-regal sentiments.
BUT look at this chart of tesserae numularia:
The move from interrex to sole consulship to finally the appointed colleague. Ordinary business goes on but they need to find new ways to think about naming the year and counting time by consuls.
Bonus coin image.
Liv Mariah Yarrow 