Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 123 23-24 May 2023
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Commodus. AD 177-192. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.72 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 192. M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT P P, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / FIDEI CO HO R TIVM AVG, Fides standing left, holding two grain ears in right hand and vexillum in left. Cf. RIC III 199 (denarius); MIR 18 –; Calicó –; cf. G. Hirsch 303, lot 3090. Fully lustrous, minor scratch in field on obverse. EF. Extremely rare, the second known and in superior grade.
Despite his increasingly erratic rule, the Emperor Commodus enjoyed relatively good relations with the soldiery during his 15-year reign. Early on, aristocratic conspiracies against Commodus caused his complete alienation from the Roman Senate, leading him to rely heavily on the army, the 10 cohorts of Praetorian Guard in particular, to carry out his will. The two Praetorian commanders, or praefects, wielded great power in this regime, but at the same time bore the brunt of his violent mood swings and arbitrary decisions. Cleander, the most powerful of these viziers, held sway for three years before a grain shortage caused public rioting and calls for his execution, which Commodus quickly heeded. This extremely rare aureus type, issued in AD 192, thanks the Praetorian Cohorts for their loyalty to him in the aftermath of Cleander's fall, slyly referenced by the figure of Fides (Fidelity) clutching two grain ears. The new praefect, Laetus, would soon engineer a successful conspiracy against his master, and the Praetorians would ultimately prove themselves loyal only to whomever paid them the most.
Despite his increasingly erratic rule, the Emperor Commodus enjoyed relatively good relations with the soldiery during his 15-year reign. Early on, aristocratic conspiracies against Commodus caused his complete alienation from the Roman Senate, leading him to rely heavily on the army, the 10 cohorts of Praetorian Guard in particular, to carry out his will. The two Praetorian commanders, or praefects, wielded great power in this regime, but at the same time bore the brunt of his violent mood swings and arbitrary decisions. Cleander, the most powerful of these viziers, held sway for three years before a grain shortage caused public rioting and calls for his execution, which Commodus quickly heeded. This extremely rare aureus type, issued in AD 192, thanks the Praetorian Cohorts for their loyalty to him in the aftermath of Cleander's fall, slyly referenced by the figure of Fides (Fidelity) clutching two grain ears. The new praefect, Laetus, would soon engineer a successful conspiracy against his master, and the Praetorians would ultimately prove themselves loyal only to whomever paid them the most.