Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXIII 24-25 Mar 2022
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Commodus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 180. L AVREL COMMODVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust to left / TR P V•IMP IIII COS II P•P, Victory seated to left, holding patera in right hand and palm cradled in left arm. RIC III 8b; C. 788; BMCRE p. 691; Biaggi 1016 (same dies); Calicó 2343 (same obv. die). 7.24g, 20mm, 12h.
Mint State. Scarce.
From the Altstetten Collection, kept in the vault of Crédit Suisse Geneva (documentation available upon request) since 26 November 1969.
Marcus Aurelius was the first Roman emperor since Vespasian to have a natural son as his successor. Previously there had been a precedent for adoption which modern historians (such as Machiavelli and Gibbon) sometimes interpreted as a conscious detestation of inherited succession and argued that the practice of selection, in contrast to dynasticism, produced a period of prosperity. Indeed, Gibbon interpreted the period preceding Commodus' rule as a golden age, which was followed by the steady decline of the Roman Empire, perhaps eliciting the contemporary historian Cassius Dio who said upon the succession of Commodus, "our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust..." (LXXII.36.4). The opinion could not have been proved more correct in regard to Commodus, since his ruinous fiscal policies, megalomania and debauchery led the empire inevitably along the road to civil war and economic decline.
This coin was struck at the very beginning of Commodus' sole reign at the point at which he had yet to adopt the praenomen 'Marcus' in honour of his late father. Thus, the obverse legend and the dating IMP III are actually continuations of the coins used when Commodus was joint-ruler with Marcus Aurelius. The portrait of Commodus with his lack of beard and thick, vibrant hair emphasises his youth, being only nineteen when he became sole emperor, whilst also recalling his father through physical resemblance.
The new emperor Commodus returned to Rome having swiftly negotiated a treaty with the Danubian tribes following his father's death in 180. He celebrated a triumph later that year and minted coins with types highlighting his 'victory'. Alongside the present coin were included an 'Adventus' type, depictions of a trophy and captives and representations of Commodus as the victorious leader in the guise of general or warrior (see RIC p. 356-7).
Mint State. Scarce.
From the Altstetten Collection, kept in the vault of Crédit Suisse Geneva (documentation available upon request) since 26 November 1969.
Marcus Aurelius was the first Roman emperor since Vespasian to have a natural son as his successor. Previously there had been a precedent for adoption which modern historians (such as Machiavelli and Gibbon) sometimes interpreted as a conscious detestation of inherited succession and argued that the practice of selection, in contrast to dynasticism, produced a period of prosperity. Indeed, Gibbon interpreted the period preceding Commodus' rule as a golden age, which was followed by the steady decline of the Roman Empire, perhaps eliciting the contemporary historian Cassius Dio who said upon the succession of Commodus, "our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust..." (LXXII.36.4). The opinion could not have been proved more correct in regard to Commodus, since his ruinous fiscal policies, megalomania and debauchery led the empire inevitably along the road to civil war and economic decline.
This coin was struck at the very beginning of Commodus' sole reign at the point at which he had yet to adopt the praenomen 'Marcus' in honour of his late father. Thus, the obverse legend and the dating IMP III are actually continuations of the coins used when Commodus was joint-ruler with Marcus Aurelius. The portrait of Commodus with his lack of beard and thick, vibrant hair emphasises his youth, being only nineteen when he became sole emperor, whilst also recalling his father through physical resemblance.
The new emperor Commodus returned to Rome having swiftly negotiated a treaty with the Danubian tribes following his father's death in 180. He celebrated a triumph later that year and minted coins with types highlighting his 'victory'. Alongside the present coin were included an 'Adventus' type, depictions of a trophy and captives and representations of Commodus as the victorious leader in the guise of general or warrior (see RIC p. 356-7).