Nero Bronze As, RIC I (second edition) Nero 312

Monetary Context and the Neronian Base-Metal Reform

The introduction of RIC I (second edition) Nero 312 must be situated within the profound overhaul of Roman imperial coinage executed under Nero around AD 64. For the first decade of Nero's reign, the Roman state struck virtually no regular imperial base-metal coinage at Rome, continuing a pattern of intermittent bronze production established under Claudius. When aes production resumed at Rome, it coincided with comprehensive monetary reforms that adjusted precious metal fineness and introduced radical revisions to the base-metal denominations. Initially, Neronian mint administrators experimented with striking all base-metal fractions, from the sestertius down to the quadrans, in brass (orichalcum). Because orichalcum had approximately double the value of unalloyed copper, an orichalcum as was issued at a lighter weight of roughly 8.0 to 8.5 grams and marked with explicit value marks. However, public familiarity with traditional denominations and metal colors prompted an operational shift. Around AD 65, the mint resumed production of the traditional as in unalloyed red copper at the heavier standard of approximately 10.5 to 11.0 grams, abandoning value marks while preserving orichalcum for the sestertius and dupondius. RIC 312 represents this mature phase of reformed copper coinage. As a copper as, it functioned as the everyday monetary backbone of retail trade, accounting for daily transactions, soldier stipends, and local market exchanges across the empire. The Senatus Consulto (S C) formula was maintained prominently on the reverse, affirming senatorial sanction in accordance with Augustan tradition, even as imperial portraiture and iconography reflected uninhibited dynastic authority.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC 312 was produced exclusively at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During this phase of Nero's reign, two main Western mints produced base-metal coinage: Rome and Lugdunum (modern Lyon). Numismatists distinguish the outputs of these two facilities through stylistic and physical diagnostic criteria. Lugdunum issues typically exhibit a distinctive small globe beneath the truncation of the emperor's neck, lower relief, and distinctive letterforms. In contrast, Rome mint productions such as RIC 312 lack the neck globe, possess sculptural, fleshy portraits in high relief, and display refined die-cutting characteristics of capital engravers working in the capital. The flans for RIC 312 were cast in open or two-piece molds before being struck hot or cold between engraved steel or bronze dies. The metal used was pure copper rather than orichalcum, resulting in a dark red or brown original color that contrasted clearly with the golden-yellow brass of contemporary dupondii. Average weights for this type cluster around 10.5 to 11.2 grams, with diameters normally ranging from 27 to 30 millimeters, conforming closely to the theoretical uncia (one-twelfth of a Roman pound) standard. Die axis alignment on Rome mint aes issues of this period was predominantly regularized to either an upright orientation (12 o'clock) or an inverted orientation (6 o'clock), demonstrating the high level of mechanical and administrative discipline within the Roman mint workshops.

Obverse Iconography and Royal Portraiture

The obverse of RIC 312 features a mature, laureate bust of Nero facing to the right. Unlike the idealized and youthful portraits found on Nero's early gold and silver issues struck under the guidance of Seneca and Burrus, this portrait reflects the realism and theatrical grandeur associated with his independent rule following the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. The emperor is depicted with heavy, fleshy facial features, a prominent double chin, and a thick, swelling neck. His hair is arranged in elaborate, layered waves across the top of the skull and combed into carefully curled ringlets around the forehead and nape of the neck, an opulent style that Suetonius criticized as reminiscent of charioteers and stage performers (coma in gradus formata). The laurel wreath encircling the head is tied at the back with flowing fillets (taeniae) that drape downward over the neck. In stylistic execution, this portrait is regarded as an apex of Julio-Claudian naturalism. The die engravers achieved three-dimensional modelling that captured psychological presence and imperial gravitas, transforming the emperor's unconventional features into a display of divine abundance and imperial majesty.

Reverse Iconography: Victory with the Votive Shield

The reverse of RIC 312 presents a dynamic image of Victory (Victoria), draped in flowing classical chiton and peplos, advancing gracefully toward the left. Her large wings are spread wide behind her back, rendered with delicate, striated feather detail. She holds aloft with both hands a rounded votive shield (clipeus virtutis), upon which the abbreviation S P Q R is incised. The field is flanked by the two large letters S and C, positioned to the left and right of the central figure. The motif directly evokes the golden shield granted by the Senate to Augustus in 27 BC, symbolizing virtus, clementia, iustitia, and pietas. By placing the shield inscribed Senatus Populusque Romanus into the hands of a winged Victory, the design credits the imperial house with the defense and triumph of the Roman state. This Victory type carried immediate geopolitical resonance in the mid-AD 60s. Following the negotiated peace with Parthia over the kingdom of Armenia in AD 63, concluded by General Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, Rome celebrated a comprehensive restoration of external peace. Nero formally closed the doors of the Temple of Janus in AD 65, an event widely commemorated across his base-metal coinage. The Victory with shield on RIC 312 expressed this narrative of achieved peace and military triumph guaranteed by imperial guardianship.

Epigraphy and Imperial Titles

The obverse legend on RIC 312 reads continuously clockwise along the outer beaded border: NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP. This formulation represents an abbreviated titulature characteristic of Nero's later aes series from the Rome mint. The sequence expands as Nero Caesar Augustus Germanicus Imperator. Remarkably, the title Imperator is placed as a cognomen at the end of the legend rather than in the praenominal position adopted by later military emperors, maintaining the Julio-Claudian convention where Imperator denoted military salutations. The absence of consular dates (Consul) or the tribunician power count (Tribunicia Potestas) means that the coin cannot be tied to a single calendar year solely through its legend, though the presence of Germanicus reflects his hereditary lineage through Claudius and Drusus. The reverse legends consist of two distinct elements. Centered on the boss of the shield held by Victory is the inscription S P Q R, expanding to Senatus Populusque Romanus (The Senate and the Roman People), declaring that the honorific shield was dedicated by the collective state. In the field flanking Victory, the abbreviation S C signifies Senatus Consulto (By Decree of the Senate), the legal formula that validated the issuing of base-metal currency at Rome and preserved the traditional authority of the Senate over the treasury.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification established in Roman Imperial Coinage (second edition, 1984) by C. H. V. Sutherland, RIC 312 is catalogued within the second major series of reformed aes from Rome, commonly dated to circa AD 65. The catalogue assigns a broader date range of AD 62 to AD 68 to accommodate the entire reformed framework, but numismatic consensus places the production of the NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP obverse copper series tightly between late AD 64 and AD 66. RIC 312 is typologically distinguished from neighboring catalogue entries by its specific combination of portrait attributes, legends, and reverse details. For example, RIC 311 features an identical reverse but pairs it with an obverse showing the bust facing left rather than right. RIC 313 and 314 bear different obverse titulatures, including forms that append PONTIF MAX TRIB POT P P or present the emperor bare-headed. Furthermore, identical iconographic compositions struck at Lugdunum (such as RIC 543) are distinguished by their provincial engraving style and the diagnostic globe at the truncation of Nero's neck. The production of RIC 312 ceased around AD 66 as mint priorities shifted toward other base-metal reverses, such as the Ara Pacis, the Temple of Janus, and the Arch of Nero, before the final cessation of Nero's coinage upon his death in June AD 68.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Copper asses of RIC 312 entered circulation in vast numbers and served as workhorse currency across the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Italia, Gallia, Hispania, and Britannia. Because base-metal coins possessed low intrinsic bullion value compared to denarii and aurei, they circulated intensively for decades, suffering significant surface wear. Excavations at frontier military installations along the Rhine and Danube, as well as civilian settlements in Britain and Gaul, frequently yield Neronian Victory asses. The high volume of Nero's copper coinage struck between AD 64 and AD 66 satisfied a critical currency shortage that had accumulated since the later years of Claudius. Consequently, issues like RIC 312 remained in active circulation long after Nero's fall and damnatio memoriae, persisting through the civil wars of AD 68 to 69 and throughout the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Many circulating specimens were subject to countermarking by subsequent military factions or regional authorities to validate their exchange value during periods of political instability. In site finds, worn examples of this type are routinely found in contexts dating to the second century AD, demonstrating that the structural stability of Nero's copper standard provided lasting utility to the Roman monetary economy.

References

1. The Coinage of Nero: Rome and Lugdunum. pp. 1-28
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 241-246
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (revised edition). p. 169, no. 312
4. The Cistophori of Augustus and the Julio-Claudian Aes Coinage. pp. 129-145