#35)
Silver (billon) tetradrachm of Nero
(A.D. 54-68).
Egypt, Alexandria mint, A.D. 67-68.
Milne 287.
Obv:NEPW KΛAV
KAIΣΣΓEP AV
-
Radiate bust of Nero, left; LIΔ below
chin, equals Year 14.
Rev: AKTIOΣ-
AΠOΛΛΩ -
Laurate bust of Apollo of Actium,
quivver behind shoulder.
24 x 26 mm, 12.3 g.
$80
Nero was the last of the Julio-Claudians, that is, emperors who attained their legitimacy by being descendants of Julius Caesar and Augustus. His reign is noted mainly for his extravagance and excess, his opinion of himself as a great artist (to the amusement of the Roman public and the consternation of the military) and his persecution of the Christians. Being the last legitimate heir of Augustus, his suicide, under the pressure of open rebellion, in A.D. 69, left a power vacuum that resulted in civil war.
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