Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 372 6 April 2016
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Nero. AD 54-68. Æ Sestertius (35mm, 28.02 g, 1h). Rome mint. Struck AD 64. Laureate head right / Triumphal arch surmounted by statue of emperor in quadriga in procession. RIC I 149 var. (bust with aegis); WCN 90 var. (same). Near VF, porous dark brown surfaces.
This monumental triumphal arch was erected by Nero to commemorate Roman military campaigns against the Parthians in Mesopotamia and Armenia. Although not particularly successful in a military sense (Paetus lost almost his entire army at Randeia in Armenia), the war did end with a peace treaty favorable to Rome that was upheld for nearly fifty years. This coin type is vitally important for architectural historians, for the arch was rededicated if not entirely dismantled after Nero's ignominious end in AD 68, and is only known through its depiction on his coins.
This monumental triumphal arch was erected by Nero to commemorate Roman military campaigns against the Parthians in Mesopotamia and Armenia. Although not particularly successful in a military sense (Paetus lost almost his entire army at Randeia in Armenia), the war did end with a peace treaty favorable to Rome that was upheld for nearly fifty years. This coin type is vitally important for architectural historians, for the arch was rededicated if not entirely dismantled after Nero's ignominious end in AD 68, and is only known through its depiction on his coins.