Premium MDC Monnaies de Collection
921
-
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
See original version (French)
921
-
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,000
Voluntary lot
Description
ROMAN EMPIRE - ROMAN
Nero (54–68). Sesterce, no date (c. 63), Rome or Lyon.
Av. NERO CLAUDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P. Laureate bust facing right.
Rev. ADLOCVT COH. On a low platform, Nero stands facing left with the Praetorian Prefect at his side, raising his right hand towards three Germanic guards, the two in the foreground carrying standards; behind, the Praetorium or camp headquarters.
Catalogue no. (cf. 96C); Orichalcum – 28.72 g – 34 mm – 6 h
With a round label bearing a pen mark from a former collection.
Well centred and complete. The fields are slightly corroded and the inscriptions have been retouched, with an old patina still visible in the reliefs. A rare depiction. Very good condition.
The soldiers depicted on this ‘Adlocutio’ (‘address to the troops’) sesterce of Nero do not belong to the Praetorian Guard, as was previously thought. One of them is bearded and all are depicted without armour, clad only in tunics, cloaks and swords slung over their shoulders. The standards they carry differ markedly from those depicted on Roman coins and sculptures, which feature a multitude of discs, banners and other emblems; these rather slender standards each bear several hemispherical ornaments and a disc-shaped ornament. These characteristics indicate that the troops to whom Nero is addressing are members of the Germani Corpori Custodes, the elite Germanic bodyguard in the service of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The Germanic bodyguards were first employed by Julius Caesar and, by the end of Augustus’s reign, their numbers fluctuated between 500 and 1,000 men. They were briefly disbanded after the Battle of Teutoburg, but were reconstituted by Tiberius and were the last force to remain loyal to Nero when his regime collapsed in 68 AD.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like