Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXI 24-25 Mar 2021
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Nero Æ Sestertius. Lugdunum, circa AD 66. IMP NERO CAESAR AVG PONT MAX TR POT P P, laureate head to left, globe at point of bust / Garlanded triumphal arch surmounted by statue of Nero in facing quadriga escorted on right by Victory holding wreath and palm and on left by Pax holding caduceus and cornucopiae; just below the quadriga on extreme left and right, two small figures of soldiers; on left side of arch in niche, figure of Mars standing facing, holding spear and round shield; ornamental reliefs on the faces and plinths of the arch; S-C across fields. RIC I 500; C. 309; BMCRE 333. 26.23g, 35mm, 6h.
Extremely Fine; a well-detailed reverse.
From the Antonio Carmona Collection.
"In no one thing was Nero more prodigal than in his buildings", claimed Suetonius before his description of the lavish Domus Aurea, and indeed numismatic evidence attests to the importance and extravagance of private and public construction projects during the rule of the infamous emperor (Life of Nero, 31).
Tensions between the Parthian and Roman empires had long been brewing, but until the reign of Nero these had manifested only as a series of proxy-wars, shows of force and diplomatic negotiations - the period has been likened to a 'cold war' between the two powers (Poirot, 'Julio-Claudian Foreign Policy in the First Century', 2014). The War of Armenian Succession, as it became known, commenced in AD 58 when the Parthian king installed his brother Tiridates on the Armenian throne. A strategically important buffer zone, Armenia was a frequent flash-point between the two great powers. Initially, a Roman counter-attack proved successful in removing Tiridates and installing their own claimant to the throne, but the garrison forces left to hold the territory were soon overwhelmed and a humiliating defeat was inflicted on the Romans at Rhandeia. The Roman commander Lucius Caesennius Paetus was recalled as soon as news of this defeat reached the Senate in Rome in AD 63, by which time the Arch of Nero was allegedly already under construction "while the war was yet undecided....in disregard of known facts" (Tac. Ann. 15.18). He was replaced by Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, an experienced commander then acting as governor of the adjacent province of Syria. Gathering his forces, he re-opened diplomatic negotiations with the Parthians and agreed a settlement whereby Tiridates would remain as king of Armenia, but only when crowned as such by Nero himself.
Since the arch was apparently rededicated or destroyed following Nero's damnatio memoriae, as F. Kleiner suggests (The Arch of Nero in Rome, 1985), this beautifully detailed reverse offers invaluable insight into the physical monument. Indeed, as Philip Hill emphasises, "coins are the sole evidence" for the appearance of many Neronian edifices ('Buildings and Monuments of Rome As Coin Types', 1983, p.88): for instance, denarii depicted the hexastyle Temple of Vesta (RIC 62) and sestertii showed the Temple of Janus (RIC 265). O. Hekster, E. Manders and D. Slootjes record that 92 Neronian coin types celebrated the city, with an additional 49 types depicting new buildings in Rome and Ostia ('Making History with Coins', 2014, p.35). Though it is not possible to assess the faithfulness of the coin design to the original building, the detail on this example is extraordinary, with its garlanded archway and elaborate reliefs around the triumphal archway.
Extremely Fine; a well-detailed reverse.
From the Antonio Carmona Collection.
"In no one thing was Nero more prodigal than in his buildings", claimed Suetonius before his description of the lavish Domus Aurea, and indeed numismatic evidence attests to the importance and extravagance of private and public construction projects during the rule of the infamous emperor (Life of Nero, 31).
Tensions between the Parthian and Roman empires had long been brewing, but until the reign of Nero these had manifested only as a series of proxy-wars, shows of force and diplomatic negotiations - the period has been likened to a 'cold war' between the two powers (Poirot, 'Julio-Claudian Foreign Policy in the First Century', 2014). The War of Armenian Succession, as it became known, commenced in AD 58 when the Parthian king installed his brother Tiridates on the Armenian throne. A strategically important buffer zone, Armenia was a frequent flash-point between the two great powers. Initially, a Roman counter-attack proved successful in removing Tiridates and installing their own claimant to the throne, but the garrison forces left to hold the territory were soon overwhelmed and a humiliating defeat was inflicted on the Romans at Rhandeia. The Roman commander Lucius Caesennius Paetus was recalled as soon as news of this defeat reached the Senate in Rome in AD 63, by which time the Arch of Nero was allegedly already under construction "while the war was yet undecided....in disregard of known facts" (Tac. Ann. 15.18). He was replaced by Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, an experienced commander then acting as governor of the adjacent province of Syria. Gathering his forces, he re-opened diplomatic negotiations with the Parthians and agreed a settlement whereby Tiridates would remain as king of Armenia, but only when crowned as such by Nero himself.
Since the arch was apparently rededicated or destroyed following Nero's damnatio memoriae, as F. Kleiner suggests (The Arch of Nero in Rome, 1985), this beautifully detailed reverse offers invaluable insight into the physical monument. Indeed, as Philip Hill emphasises, "coins are the sole evidence" for the appearance of many Neronian edifices ('Buildings and Monuments of Rome As Coin Types', 1983, p.88): for instance, denarii depicted the hexastyle Temple of Vesta (RIC 62) and sestertii showed the Temple of Janus (RIC 265). O. Hekster, E. Manders and D. Slootjes record that 92 Neronian coin types celebrated the city, with an additional 49 types depicting new buildings in Rome and Ostia ('Making History with Coins', 2014, p.35). Though it is not possible to assess the faithfulness of the coin design to the original building, the detail on this example is extraordinary, with its garlanded archway and elaborate reliefs around the triumphal archway.