RIC I 2 NO. 361, SESTERTIUS OF NERO, 67AD

Coins were used by the Roman Emperors as the fundamental form of propaganda due to their frequent use and exchange which enabled the broadcast of Imperial images and ideologies on a large scale throughout the Roman Empire.[1] This bronze Sestertius was issued by the last of the Julio-Claudian Emperors, Nero, in 67 AD, a year before the end of his reign which lasted from 54 to 68 AD. While the obverse of the coin gives the image of the ruling Emperor, the reverse promotes Imperial ideas and the feats of the Emperor, which Michael Grant recognises “by no means always show[s] what was really happening. But they how [sic] in the most reliable way possible what the imperial government said was happening.[2]” This notion becomes crucial in the reigns of Emperors such as Nero where the literary sources, and their distinctly Senatorial viewpoint, seek to paint the Emperor in a bad light.[3] Suetonius claims that Nero ‘reveal[ed] his monstrous nature at the earliest possible opportunity,” (Suet. Ner. 7.5-12). In cases such as this, numismatics work to oppose and balance the biased anti-imperial literary sources with their equally biased, and no less valid, pro-imperial messages.[4]

The obverse of this coin from the Otago Museum’s collection depicts the bare headed portrait of Emperor Nero circled by the legend, his title, IMP NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM PM TRP XIII PP (NERO CLAUDIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS PONTIFEX MAXIMUS TRIBUNA POTESTAS XIII PATER PATRIAE).[5] IMP was a title taken when one became an Emperor and used to recognise the person as Imperator or ‘leader of the army.[6]’ The following names show how Nero is drawing attention to his Julio-Claudian ancestry through legend IMP NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM.[7] This is an interesting feature as, after 55 AD, Julio-Claudian claims disappeared from Nero’s coinage and CLAVD was omitted altogether from the silver and gold coins.[8] It is difficult to explain why Nero began to omit the name Claudius from his title as it was through this adoption that he consolidated his position within the Julio-Claudian family as the great-great-grandson of Augustus.[9] The title further draws attention to Nero’s position within the Imperial family by including the legends CAESAR and AVG which validate his position as Emperor. In the early Empire, Emperors such as Nero, took on both Caesar and Augustus as titles.[10] The inclusion of Caesar denotes the Imperial family and recalls the relationship of Augustus to his predecessor Julius Caesar, who brought about the downfall of the Republic, enabling his heir Octavian (Augustus) to establish Imperial rule.[11] Building on this, the AVG stands for Augustus, a title initially given to Octavian in 27 BC by the Senate which later became the indicator of supreme authority, becoming synonymous with ‘Emperor,’ and was adopted by all his successors.[12] Lastly, the inclusion of GERM refers back to Nero’s grandfather Germanicus,[13] who was loved by the Senate, the people and the army but killed during the reign of Tiberius. In making this connection to himself, Nero draws on Germanicus’ popularity and status before, and after his death, and the way he was held in high esteem by Augustus to heighten his own position of importance to the life of the first princeps.

The remainder of the legend serves as a testament to the roles and positions of power held by Nero at the time the coin was minted in 67 AD. The PM highlights Nero’s role as Pontifex Maximus, which recognised his position as the head of religion,[14] and promotes Nero’s piety. TRP XIII recognises that, at this time, Nero holds the power of Tribunicia Potestas or Tribunitian Power, which enables the holder the authority to veto decisions and also gather the Senate.[15] Augustus’ acquisition of Tribunician Power in 23 BC had been an important step towards the creation of autocracy in the Roman Empire.[16] The numeral following the TRP allows us to pinpoint the year of the coin as Tribunicia Potestas, this was renewed annually so the number coincides with the number of years the office has been held.[17] In this case, the position has been held by Nero 13 times, allowing the coin to be dated to 67AD. Finally, the PP recognises Nero as Pater Patriae, Father of the Country, which was yet another title initially given to Augustus and subsequently used by his successors.[18]

When looking at the coinage of Nero, it is possible to categorise it into two periods, 54-63 AD and 64-68 AD, which are divided by a monetary reform where political changes within his reign are reflected in the coinage.[19] The division between these two periods is important as it was a turning point in Nero’s relationship with the Senate who, at the start of Nero’s reign, Sydenham recognises to have “ruled in a truer sense than at any time since 27 BC.[20]” Hints of this can be found in Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars in which Nero is initially shown to be respectful of the Senatorial class in a way many of his predecessors weren’t (Suet. Ner. 10-12). However, this Sestertius comes from the later period, after Nero’s hatred for the Senate surfaced and he began to impinge on their rights, crushing them beneath his totalitarianism policies.[21] What is interesting about this coin is that it has been minted with the S C, which was a mark by Decree of the Senate and typically occurred on the reverse of bronze coins to give them validation however, the letters largely disappeared off many of the coins after Nero’s reform.[22] This is likely because the coin was minted in Lugdunum which, outside of Rome, was the only mint that retained the right to print both imperial and Senatorial coins during the reign of Nero.[23]

The reform also saw a shift in imagery away from depictions of his ancestors, this coin exemplifies the new themes that began to dominate the coinage of Nero who began to emphasise the city of Rome in a way his predecessors had not.[24] This sudden focus on the city of Rome, demonstrated on the reverse of this coin, could be tied in with the extensive building projects (Suet. Ner. 16)  undertaken by the Emperor as a result of the Great Fire in 64 AD.[25] Victory, as depicted in the hand of Roma on the reverse of this coin, became another theme in the later coinage of Nero however it does not seem to fit with literary characterisations of him.[26] Suetonius recalls that Nero had no interests in expanding his Empire and seems to only gain control when it is given to him, rather than trying to earn it.(Suet. Ner. 18-19) This highlights the stark contrast between propaganda produced under the direct control of the Emperor and the literary accounts produced after his reign and how each seeks to create a different characterisation of Nero.

References

[1] Michael Grant, “Roman Coins as Propaganda,” in Archaeology 5 no. 2, 1952: 79, 85; Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 29

[2] Michael Grant, “Roman Coins as Propaganda,” in Archaeology 5 no. 2, 1952: 84, 83

[3] Michael Grant, “Roman Coins as Propaganda,” in Archaeology 5 no. 2, 1952: 84; Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 26

[4] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: 4ero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 26, 28-9; Michael Grant, “Roman Coins as Propaganda,” in Archaeology 5 no. 2, 1952: 84

[5] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html

[6] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html

[7] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html

[8] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 34

[9] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 32-34

[10] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html2018; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[11] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[12] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[13] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/

[14] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[15] Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[16] Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[17] Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html

[18] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; David R Sear, “Common Legend Abbreviations on Roman Coins,” David R. Sear, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/roman_legends.html2018

[19] E.A. Sydenham, “The Coinage of Nero. An Introductory Study,” In The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 6 no. 4, 1916: 13, 18

[20] E.A. Sydenham, “The Coinage of Nero. An Introductory Study,” In The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 6 no. 4, 1916: 13, 1813-14, 16-18

[21] E.A. Sydenham, “The Coinage of Nero. An Introductory Study,” In The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 6 no. 4, 1916: 13, 18 18,17

[22] Peter Sutton, “Dr. Sutton’s Roman Coin Legend Translation,” Cointranslator.com, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, http://cointranslator.com/; Doug Smith, “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins,” Doug Smith’s Ancient Coins, accessed on Tuesday 4 September 2018, https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html; E.A. Sydenham, “The Coinage of Nero. An Introductory Study,” In The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 6 no. 4, 1916: 13, 18 25-26

[23] E.A. Sydenham, “The Coinage of Nero. An Introductory Study,” In The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society 6 no. 4, 1916: 13, 18 31

[24] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 34-35

[25] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 35

[26] Oliver Hekster, Erika Manders, and Danielle Slootjes, “Making History with Coins: Nero from a Numismatic Perspective,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 45 no. 1 2014: 28-27