Savoca Coins
Online Auction 209 | Silver 28 Apr 2024
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Ionia. Smyrna. Britannicus AD 41-55. Philistos, son of Eikadios, magistrate
Bronze Æ
16 mm, 3,94 g
ZMY, bare-headed and draped bust of Britannicus (?) right / ЄΠI ΦIΛIΣTOY ЄIKAΔIOΣ, Nike advancing right, holding trophy over shoulder.
Very Fine
RPC I 2476 (Nero as Caesar, under Claudius).
Britannicus, the son of Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina, was born in AD 41 and received his name from the Senate after his father declined the title following Britain's conquest. Educated alongside future Emperor Titus by scholar Sosibius, Britannicus faced a tumultuous life. When Messalina married Gaius Silius in AD 48, who planned to adopt Britannicus and usurp Claudius, the emperor had her executed. Claudius later married his niece Agrippina, Nero's mother, who pushed for Nero's favor over Britannicus. Despite being named co-heir, Britannicus was overshadowed by Nero's influence. Agrippina, fearing Britannicus' potential as he approached adulthood, arranged his poisoning during a banquet in AD 54, falsely attributed to epilepsy by Nero. This tragic end to Britannicus' life, immortalized in Jean Racine's play "Britannicus," reflects the power struggles and betrayals within Roman imperial families.
Bronze Æ
16 mm, 3,94 g
ZMY, bare-headed and draped bust of Britannicus (?) right / ЄΠI ΦIΛIΣTOY ЄIKAΔIOΣ, Nike advancing right, holding trophy over shoulder.
Very Fine
RPC I 2476 (Nero as Caesar, under Claudius).
Britannicus, the son of Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina, was born in AD 41 and received his name from the Senate after his father declined the title following Britain's conquest. Educated alongside future Emperor Titus by scholar Sosibius, Britannicus faced a tumultuous life. When Messalina married Gaius Silius in AD 48, who planned to adopt Britannicus and usurp Claudius, the emperor had her executed. Claudius later married his niece Agrippina, Nero's mother, who pushed for Nero's favor over Britannicus. Despite being named co-heir, Britannicus was overshadowed by Nero's influence. Agrippina, fearing Britannicus' potential as he approached adulthood, arranged his poisoning during a banquet in AD 54, falsely attributed to epilepsy by Nero. This tragic end to Britannicus' life, immortalized in Jean Racine's play "Britannicus," reflects the power struggles and betrayals within Roman imperial families.