Nero Orichalcum Sestertius, RIC I (second edition) Nero 396

Monetary Context and the Neronian Currency Reform

The sestertius catalogued as RIC I (second edition) Nero 396 belongs to the dramatic restructuring of imperial bronze and brass production executed during Nero's sole reign. Following a prolonged hiatus in base metal striking at the official imperial mints during the late Claudian and early Neronian periods, Nero reinitiated large-scale aes coinage in the mid-60s AD, particularly following the financial reorganizations of AD 64. The sestertius constituted the tariff anchor of the base-metal system, valued at four asses, two dupondii, or one quarter of a silver denarius. Under Nero, the denomination was struck in orichalcum (golden brass), a zinc-copper alloy prized for its golden luster and substantial flan module. By allocating the large flan of the sestertius to dynamic artistic tableaux, the imperial administration converted everyday monetary transactions into a platform for civic and military messaging across the western empire.

Mint of Lugdunum and Striking Characteristics

While early scholarship frequently grouped Neronian aes into a single metropolitan framework, numismatic research initiated in the twentieth century definitively established Lugdunum as the sole official secondary western mint striking aes alongside Rome. RIC I (second edition) Nero 396 is explicitly assigned to Lugdunum. The diagnostic technical signature of the Lugdunum mint is the diminutive globe or pellet placed at the truncation of the imperial neck on the obverse die. Lugdunum dies also display distinct stylistic traits, including somewhat broader facial features, heavy neck folds, and a robust treatment of equestrian anatomy on the reverse. Flans prepared at Lugdunum regularly achieve diameters of approximately 34 to 36 millimeters, with nominal weight targets centered around 26 to 28 grams, though individual specimens demonstrate significant variation due to ancient batch-weighting techniques and irregular alloy composition.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC 396 displays the mature laureate portrait of Nero facing right. In keeping with the evolved portrait conventions of the later reign, Nero is rendered with full, realistic jowls, an elaborate stepped arrangement of curled hair brought forward along the crown and brow (coma in gradus formata), and a prominent neck. At the point of the neck sits the Lugdunum globe, an engraver's convention that differentiated western regional production from the Rome mint. The laurel wreath rests securely upon the head with ribbon ties trailing behind. This mature realistic portrait type reflects the high artistic standards introduced by master engravers during this period, breaking decisively from the idealized, youthful Julio-Claudian conventions seen under Augustus and Tiberius.

The Decursio Reverse Composition

The reverse of RIC 396 presents one of the most animated and intricate narrative scenes in Roman imperial aes numismatics: the Decursio. Nero is shown bare-headed and cuirassed, with his military cloak (paludamentum) billowing dynamically behind him as his mount prances or canters to the right. The emperor holds a spear positioned horizontally or slightly inclined. Accompanying the emperor is a second mounted soldier, positioned in the background or riding in the opposite directional cadence, who bears a military standard (vexillum) resting back over his shoulder. The decursio was a formalized tactical cavalry maneuver or tournament performed by Roman troops, particularly associated with youth equestrian lusus, the equites, funeral pageants, and maneuvers of the praetorian cavalry. Depicting the emperor leading these maneuvers underscored Nero's active personal leadership of the armed forces and reaffirmed his popularity with the equestrian order and praetorian guard.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Readings

The obverse inscription of RIC 396 reads NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P. This dense formula records Nero's expanded imperial titulature: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), Tribunicia Potestate (possessing tribunician authority), Imperator (supreme military commander), and Pater Patriae (father of the fatherland). The inclusion of IMP as an internal title alongside P P helps anchor the issue within the period after Nero accepted these cumulative honors. On the reverse, the legend is divided into two distinct components: the top thematic legend DECVRSIO, designating the scene, and the flanking letters S C (Senatus Consulto) positioned in the lower field or exergue. The senatorial sanction formula remained a legal and traditional fixture on base-metal denominations, affirming nominal senatorial authority even while imperial military imagery dominated the reverse field.

Typology and Chronological Placement

Within the typology established by C. H. V. Sutherland in the revised Roman Imperial Coinage Volume I, the Decursio sestertii form an extensive series spanning both Rome and Lugdunum, with varying directions of horses, numbers of riders, and presence or absence of the obverse globe. RIC 396 represents the specific Lugdunum variant featuring the laureate head right with globe, and Nero prancing right accompanied by a mounted standard-bearer. Sutherland dated the main volume of Lugdunum aes striking to approximately AD 64 through AD 67, while broader institutional catalogue frameworks accommodate the full bracket of AD 62 to AD 68. The absence of specific numbered renewals of the tribunician power precludes year-by-year certainty, but die-link studies conducted by MacDowall indicate that the Decursio series was struck in considerable volume throughout the mid-60s AD as Lugdunum supplied the western armies and provinces.

Circulation and Archaeological Context

As products of the major western mint, sestertii of RIC 396 circulated extensively throughout Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and Roman Britain, where military garrisons required reliable base-metal cash for daily pay and local market exchange. Archaeological finds from military sites along the limes and river settlements across the Rhône valley indicate that Lugdunum sestertii formed a dominant element in the local currency supply during the late 60s AD and continued to circulate well into the Flavian period. Because of their heavy weight and substantial brass content, many specimens experienced substantial surface wear over decades of active circulation before being hoarded or lost during the unrest of the civil wars of AD 68 to 69 or later municipal growth.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume I: Augustus to Vitellius. pp. 261-264
2. The Western Coinages of Nero (Numismatic Notes and Monographs, No. 161). pp. 132-145
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Nero 396. ric.1(2).ner.396
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (Revised Edition). p. 177, no. 396