Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 460 29 Jan 2020
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Nero. AD 54-68. Æ Sestertius (36mm, 26.75 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 65. Laureate bust right, wearing aegis / Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory in right hand and resting left on parazonium; arms (shields, helmet and spear) stacked behind. RIC I 273; WCN 145. Green-brown surfaces, patina worn through at high points. VF. Bold portrait with a well struck aegis.
From the Summer Haven Collection.
Whatever his defects as a ruler, Nero was a patron of the arts and this is reflected on his coins, which are among the most attractive and interesting in the Roman series. This sestertius depicts him wearing a protective aegis, a type of scaly shield, collar or breastplate bearing the image of Medusa. Its origins are rather mysterious, as it is variously described by ancient sources as the skin of a fire-breathing serpent named Aex that was slain and flayed by Athena, or the pelt of of the Amalthean goat which suckled the infant Zeus; in either version the skin was later melded with the face of Medusa (or some other Gorgon) as a votive offering from Perseus. The aegis made its wearer impervious to all harm. Athena / Minerva is usually depicted wearing the aegis and the symbolism was adopted by both Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors.
From the Summer Haven Collection.
Whatever his defects as a ruler, Nero was a patron of the arts and this is reflected on his coins, which are among the most attractive and interesting in the Roman series. This sestertius depicts him wearing a protective aegis, a type of scaly shield, collar or breastplate bearing the image of Medusa. Its origins are rather mysterious, as it is variously described by ancient sources as the skin of a fire-breathing serpent named Aex that was slain and flayed by Athena, or the pelt of of the Amalthean goat which suckled the infant Zeus; in either version the skin was later melded with the face of Medusa (or some other Gorgon) as a votive offering from Perseus. The aegis made its wearer impervious to all harm. Athena / Minerva is usually depicted wearing the aegis and the symbolism was adopted by both Hellenistic kings and Roman emperors.