Nero Copper As, RIC I (second edition) Nero 306

Monetary Context and the Neronian Currency Reform

Around AD 64, Nero initiated one of the most radical monetary reorganizations in early imperial Roman history. This reform affected precious metal denominations by reducing the weight of the gold aureus and the silver denarius, while slightly debasing the silver alloy. In tandem with these adjustments, the imperial administration overhauled the base-metal system. For the first time since the early reign of Augustus, the imperial authorities produced base-metal denominations systematically at Rome, which had experienced an extended cessation of bronze and copper production under Claudius and the early years of Nero. Nero's initial base-metal experiments included the striking of all denominations, from the sestertius down to the quadrans, in orichalcum (brass). However, this all-orichalcum experiment was quickly modified, leading to a dual-metal or revised standard in which the as reverted to pure red copper (aes), while larger denominations such as the sestertius and dupondius remained in golden-hued brass. RIC I (second edition) Nero 306 belongs to this stabilized reform phase. The copper as functioned as the standard everyday accounting unit for small market transactions, daily wages, and soldier allowances. Valued at one-fourth of a sestertius and one-sixteenth of a silver denarius, the copper as met widespread demand for reliable, official small change throughout Italy and the western provinces, where worn Augustan issues and Claudian copies had long dominated daily circulation.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC I (second edition) Nero 306 was produced exclusively by the primary imperial mint located at Rome. While Nero also operated a major branch mint at Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France) that struck identical or closely parallel reverse themes, the products of the two mints are readily distinguished by numismatic criteria. Lugdunum issues are typically characterized by a distinctive small globe beneath the truncation of the imperial neck, slightly different letterforms, and subtle stylistic divergence in portrait engraving. RIC 306 exhibits the pure metropolitan style of Rome: the truncation of the neck is plain without a globe, and the die engraving demonstrates the highest technical and artistic virtuosity of the capital's master die-sinkers. Metrologically, the copper as under Nero was struck to a theoretical standard approximating 1/30 to 1/32 of a Roman pound (libra), yielding a nominal target weight in the range of roughly 10.5 to 11.5 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 27 and 29 millimeters. Die alignment was predominantly regular, adhering to a 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock axis characteristic of imperial workshop discipline. Flans were cast in individual or interconnected molds before being hot-struck between hardened bronze or iron dies. The survival of numerous obverse and reverse die pairings across this series demonstrates the vast scale of production deployed to remonetize the western provinces with official Roman aes.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC 306 presents a laureate head of Nero facing right. The portraiture belongs to Nero's mature, third portrait style, which emerged after AD 63. Rejecting the austere, idealized classicism that had defined Julio-Claudian portraiture from the era of Augustus through the early reign of Nero, this style is known for its intense, full-faced realism and baroque drama. Nero is depicted with a heavy jawline, prominent double chin, fleshy neck, and thick curls of hair arranged in elaborate, layered tiers (the so-called coma in gradus formata) that cascade down the nape of his neck. The laurel wreath encircling his head is tied at the back with ribbons that fall along the base of the neck. This civic and triumphal emblem visually reinforced the imperial authority of the princeps, celebrating his military achievements and supreme status. Unlike contemporary dupondii and radiates, which bore the radiate crown to differentiate brass from copper, the as was struck with a laureate or bare head. In RIC 306, the laureate head is rendered with extraordinary depth and plastic modeling, reflecting the work of skilled engravers who achieved a lifelike, authoritative rendering of the emperor in his late twenties.

The Temple of Janus and Reverse Iconography

The reverse design of RIC 306 depicts the shrine or Temple of Janus Geminus, situated in the Roman Forum near the Argiletum. The building is shown in three-quarter perspective, combining architectural documentation with numismatic symbolism. On the left side of the structure is a long wall pierced by a large latticed window, which provides a detailed glimpse into contemporary Roman metalwork and wooden architectural grilles. On the right side, the structure features massive double doors, securely closed and fastened. Across the center of the closed doors hangs a heavy festive garland (festoons), emphasizing the sacred and ceremonial nature of the closure. According to ancient Roman tradition dating back to King Numa Pompilius, the doors of the shrine of Janus remained open during times of war to allow the deity to assist Roman armies, and were closed only when the entire empire enjoyed peace. Before Nero, the doors had been shut only a handful of times in Roman history, most famously under Augustus. Nero's closure of the temple followed the hard-won diplomatic settlement with Vologases I of Parthia, which resolved the long-standing war over the Kingdom of Armenia. The image of the closed Temple of Janus served as an unmistakable ideological manifesto: under Nero's benevolent guidance, the Roman world had attained absolute and universal peace.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC 306 are integral to its political message and chronological attribution. The obverse legend reads clockwise from the lower left: NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP. This formulation includes Nero's personal name, his status as Caesar and Augustus, the hereditary or adopted cognomen Germanicus (abbreviated GERM), and the title Imperator (abbreviated IMP) placed as a cognomen at the end of the legend rather than as a praenomen. The omission of tribunician and consular numbers is typical for base-metal denominations of this series, but the sequence of titles is fully consistent with the post-reform epigraphic conventions of the Rome mint between AD 65 and 66. The reverse legend is exceptionally detailed and boastful, reading: PACE P R VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT, followed by the formulaic S C in the field. The phrase expands in Latin to 'Pace Populi Romani Ubique Parta Ianum Clusit', translating to: 'With the peace of the Roman people having been established everywhere, he closed [the temple of] Janus.' The word VBIQ (ubique, meaning 'everywhere') explicitly underscores the global reach of this pax, distinguishing this specific variety from slightly shorter variants (such as PACE P R TERRA MARIQ PARTA). The letters S C represent 'Senatus Consulto' ('by decree of the Senate'), retaining the constitutional fiction of senatorial oversight over base-metal token coinage even as the imperial house dictated the imagery and ideological program.

Typology and Chronological Placement

In the system of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC I (second edition) Nero 306 occupies an exact typological position defined by five specific parameters: the Rome mint, copper metal, the laureate right portrait, the obverse legend NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP, and the reverse design showing the Temple of Janus with the latticed window on the left and closed doors on the right with the PACE P R VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT legend. Neighboring numbers in the catalogue represent subtle variations: RIC 307 features a bare head, RIC 308 presents the laureate head facing left, and other entries display the doors on the left and the window on the right, or bear alternate legend formulations such as TERRA MARIQ ('on land and sea'). The chronology of the Janus series has been extensively discussed by numismatists. While Nero closed the Temple of Janus around late AD 64 or early 65 after Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo negotiated the Armenian settlement, the actual striking of these copper asses is generally assigned to circa AD 65. The broader date range of AD 62 to 68 assigned in general catalogues reflects the wider parameters of Nero's post-62 base-metal issues, but internal stylistic and hoard evidence places the massive production of the 'PACE P R VBIQ' types securely between AD 65 and the emperor's death in June AD 68.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

The copper asses of Nero, including RIC 306, enjoyed extensive circulation throughout Italy and the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Gaul, Britannia, Germania, and Hispania. In the mid-first century AD, regional western economies were plagued by severe shortages of small change, which had driven communities during the reign of Claudius to manufacture local barbarous imitations. The arrival of Nero's high-quality, abundant copper coinage transformed western market liquidity. Archaeological finds and river deposits, such as those from the Rhine and Thames, frequently yield Neronian asses displaying moderate to substantial wear, proving they circulated actively for decades after Nero's fall. Following Nero's death and subsequent damnatio memoriae in AD 68, his base-metal coins were not systematically recalled or melted down, as the Roman treasury had neither the resources nor the economic incentive to withdraw essential token currency. Many specimens from the Janus series remained in circulation well into the Flavian period and even into the second century AD, often circulating alongside countermarked Augustan and Tiberian coins until replaced by the massive bronze coinages of Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 214-275
2. The Western Coinages of Nero (Numismatic Notes and Monographs 161). pp. 1-120
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Nero 306. ric.1(2).ner.306
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 133-178, no. 306