Nero Dupondius RIC I (second edition) Nero 187

Monetary Context and the Neronian Coinage Reform

The emission catalogued as RIC I (second edition) Nero 187 belongs to the transformative period of Neronian monetary reorganization that commenced around AD 64. Prior to this landmark reform, Julio-Claudian aes coinage maintained a strict metallurgical dichotomy established by Augustus: sestertii and dupondii were struck in orichalcum (a bright golden brass alloy composed of copper and zinc), while asses, semisses, and quadrantes were struck in unalloyed red copper. Under Nero, the imperial mint experiments fundamentally disrupted this traditional convention. For a brief transitional window, the administration initiated a bold metallurgical experiment by striking all base-metal denominations, down to the humble quadrans, in orichalcum. This restructuring posed an immediate practical dilemma in the marketplace. Because orichalcum was valued higher than pure copper per unit of weight, the newly calibrated orichalcum as was reduced in physical module and mass, bringing its diameter and weight uncomfortably close to that of the dupondius. To avert commercial confusion and prevent fraud in everyday market transactions, the mint masters devised two clear iconographic signifiers. First, they introduced the radiate solar crown on the emperor's portrait to designate the double unit, contrasting with the laureate or bare head used on the single as. Second, on select issues such as RIC 187, the Roman mint engraved the numeral mark of value II beneath the reverse design to certify that the piece functioned as a two-as piece. Tariffed at two copper asses, half an orichalcum sestertius, or one-eighth of a silver denarius, this dupondius served as a workhorse denomination for mid-level retail commerce, public market transactions, and daily urban expenditures throughout the empire.

Mint Organization and Production Techniques

Numismatic consensus securely attributes RIC I (second edition) Nero 187 to the primary imperial mint at Rome. While the western branch mint at Lugdunum (modern Lyon) also struck extensive series of aes coinage during Nero's reign, the products of Rome are distinguished by several clear physical and stylistic criteria. Rome issues typically omit the small globe or globe-and-aegis motif placed at the truncational point of the imperial bust, a diagnostic feature characteristic of the Lugdunum workshops. Furthermore, the Rome mint displayed exceptional technical mastery in die engraving, characterized by deep, plastic relief, refined anatomical modeling of the emperor's fleshy features, and intricate architectural perspective on the reverse dies. Production utilized hot striking of cast brass flans. Metallurgical investigations of Neronian orichalcum reveal a zinc content generally ranging between 15 and 22 percent, which imparted a vibrant golden hue when fresh, distinct from the reddish tone of bronze or copper. Flan preparation was rigorously monitored, though base-metal coins were struck al marco (adjusting the overall number of coins produced from a given weight of alloy rather than weighing every individual flan to an exact standard). Observed weights for this dupondius type typically cluster between 12.0 and 15.0 grams, with flan diameters spanning 28 to 30 millimeters. Die axes were deliberately regulated, overwhelmingly conforming to a rigid six o'clock (inverted) alignment standard at the capital, reflecting tight workshop administration.

Obverse Design and Portraiture Style

The obverse of RIC 187 displays a right-facing, radiate head of Nero, rendering one of the most recognizable and politically charged portraits in ancient numismatics. The radiate crown, featuring multiple triangular spikes radiating from a narrow band encircling the imperial brow, explicitly associates the princeps with the solar majesty of Sol. This visual device served simultaneously as an unmistakable denominational identifier for the dupondius and as a symbolic vehicle for imperial apotheosis. In stylistic terms, the portrait exemplifies the mature Neronian realism developed during the third phase of his reign, after his break from the guiding influence of Seneca and Burrus. The mint engravers abandoned the classicizing, youthful idealization reminiscent of Augustus and Claudius in favor of an imposing, heavy-set depiction. The bust highlights Nero's pronounced double chin, prominent jaw, thick neck, and slightly hooked nose. Particular attention is devoted to the hair, which is arranged in elaborate, highly structured rows of individual stepped curls framing the forehead and temple (the hairstyle known classically as the coma in gradus formata). This theatrical coiffure, inspired by charioteers and actors, was rendered by Rome's master engravers with astonishing sculptural clarity. The neck truncation is executed cleanly without drapery or provincial attributes, terminating directly above the lower perimeter inscription.

Reverse Iconography: The Macellum Magnum

The reverse design of RIC 187 presents an elaborate architectural facade identified by its accompanying inscription as the Macellum Magnum, the great provision and food market dedicated by Nero on the Caelian Hill in AD 59. Ancient authors, including Cassius Dio, record the construction of this opulent complex, intended to replace older market facilities and centralize the supply of meat, fish, and delicacies to the populace. The die engraver employed a conventional Roman birds-eye and frontal perspective to convey the monumental scale of the edifice. The composition centers on a two-storey circular or polygonal tholos surmounted by a domed or conical roof. The upper storey features open columnar arcades or trabeated pavilions through which interior depth is suggested. Below, a broad set of access steps leads up to a wide central entrance portal, within which stands a colossal male statue holding a long sceptre or lance, widely interpreted by scholars either as the genius of the emperor, a protective divinity such as Hercules, or Nero himself watching over urban commerce. Flanking this central pavilion are two-storey lateral porticoes with decorative roofs and post-and-lintel colonnades. In the lower field and exergue, the formula S C (Senatus Consulto) confirms senatorial sanction of the base-metal issue, while the Roman numeral II is boldly engraved in the lower central exergue, certifying the coin's value as two asses. This architectural type serves as an indispensable visual document for Roman topographers, as physical archaeological remains of the Macellum on the Caelian beneath the church of Santo Stefano Rotondo remain partial and heavily contested.

Epigraphic Analysis and Titulature

The legends on RIC 187 are engraved in formal imperial Roman capitals, displaying standard letterforms, consistent spacing, and neat concentric alignment along the beaded borders. The continuous obverse inscription reads NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, representing the full official nomenclature and titulature of the mature emperor: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Imperator, Pater Patriae. The omission of an explicit iteration number for the tribunician power (TR P) or imperatorial acclamation (IMP) was typical of Neronian aes produced at Rome, contrasting with the strictly dated silver and gold emissions of the same period. The assumption of Pater Patriae (Father of His Country) points definitively to a striking date following Nero's acceptance of the title early in his reign, while the specific grammatical sequence matches the standardized formula adopted across the reformed bronze issues between AD 64 and 68. The reverse legend is concise and functional: MAC AVG, abbreviating Macellum Augusti (the Market of Augustus or Imperial Market). This legend is divided across the upper field flanking the roof of the tholos. In the lower field, the authoritative senatorial acronym S C stands on either side of the entrance or steps, affirming the constitutional fiction of senatorial authority over token aes coin production. Directly beneath the architecture in the exergue sits the numeral II, providing an explicit numeric denomination marker unmatched in most prior Julio-Claudian issues.

Typological Variations and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established by the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I, RIC 187 occupies a highly specific place in the larger Macellum Magnum series. The Macellum design was struck across multiple denominations and metal variations, appearing on sestertii, dupondii, and asses, each displaying subtle variations in bust direction, drapery, and legend breaks. On the dupondius denomination, Nero's portrait is executed either radiate right or radiate left, and with or without the exergual mark of value II. RIC 187 specifically designates the variety struck at Rome featuring the head radiate right, accompanied by the full standard obverse titulature and the reverse mark of value II. Sister variants include RIC 184 and 185 (which display the radiate head facing left) and RIC 186 and 188 (which lack the numeral II or incorporate subtle differences in the truncation and bust orientation). The chronological span of RIC 187 is securely bracketed between the monetary reform following the Great Fire of Rome in mid-AD 64 and the death of Nero in June of AD 68. Scholarly consensus, led by David MacDowall and C. H. V. Sutherland, places the heaviest production of this marked-value series in the early reform period between AD 64 and 66. As the reform matured and the public became thoroughly accustomed to distinguishing the orichalcum dupondius by its radiate crown alone, the mint phased out the somewhat redundant numeral mark of value II on later dupondius emissions.

Circulation History, Function, and Archaeological Recovery

Following its release from the Rome mint, RIC 187 entered extensive monetary circulation throughout the Italian peninsula and the western provinces. Dupondii fulfilled an indispensable economic role in daily retail trade, enabling market transactions that were too substantial for small copper quadrantes or asses yet insufficiently large to warrant the expenditure of silver denarii. The specific imagery of the Macellum Magnum likely circulated with heightened symbolic resonance among the urban plebeians of Rome, where retail provisioning and food security were perennial civic concerns. Archaeological recovery patterns demonstrate that Neronian orichalcum dupondii circulated heavily in Italy, the Gallic provinces, the Rhine frontier, and Britannia. Hoard evidence and site finds reveal that these brass dupondii sustained long circulation lives, frequently remaining in active commercial exchange for decades after Nero's fall. Many specimens from excavations exhibit extensive friction wear, softening the fine details of the Macellum facade and reducing the radiate crown to a faint contour. Despite Nero's eventual damnatio memoriae and the widespread official erasure of his name from stone monuments, his base-metal coins were never systematically recalled or melted down on a universal scale. The economic necessity of retaining high-quality brass token currency overrode dynastic hostility, permitting RIC 187 and related reform types to circulate well into the reigns of Vespasian, Domitian, and even Trajan, until centuries of attrition and Trajanic recoinage finally removed them from Western markets.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 236-238, nos. 191-197
2. The Western Coinages of Nero. pp. 110-125
3. RIC I (second edition) Nero 187. ric.1(2).ner.187
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). pp. 164-165, no. 187