Nero Orichalcum Sestertius, RIC I (second edition) Nero 108

Monetary Context and Reform

The sestertius catalogued as RIC I (second edition) Nero 108 emerged during an era of significant structural transformation in the imperial Roman monetary system. For the first decade of his reign, Nero did not strike base-metal aes denominations at Rome, continuing the pattern of the late Claudian period where imperial bronze production had ceased or operated erratically. In approximately 64 AD, concurrent with broader fiscal reorganizations following the Great Fire of Rome, Nero instituted an ambitious currency overhaul. This reform standardized brass and copper production, introducing extensive aes coinages struck at both Rome and an auxiliary western facility at Lugdunum. Within the reformed denomination hierarchy, the sestertius was the premier base-metal coin, valued at four asses, two dupondii, or one-quarter of a silver denarius. Nero maintained the traditional Augustan metal standard for the sestertius, utilizing orichalcum, a golden-toned alloy of copper and zinc. In contrast to lower denominations where Nero experimented with all-orichalcum fractional series, the sestertius remained reliably tied to orichalcum throughout the reform. Large-scale base-metal issues provided abundant liquidity for civic commerce, military disbursements, and imperial building expenditure, while serving as high-impact visual platforms for imperial ideology.

Production Standards and Minting

RIC I (second edition) Nero 108 was produced exclusively by the mint of Rome. The urban mint operated under strict senatorial and imperial administration, evidenced typologically by the persistence of the S C formula (Senatus Consulto) on the reverse, despite the reality of total imperial control over bullion allocation and design approval. Sestertii of this series were struck from cast orichalcum blanks prepared to an approximate theoretical weight standard of 1/12 of a Roman pound (libra), yielding a typical individual mass centered between 26.0 and 29.5 grams, with module diameters generally varying between 34 and 37 millimeters. Die engraving for the Rome mint during this phase achieved an artistic zenith rarely matched in ancient numismatics. The master die-cutters rendered low-relief and high-relief elements with dramatic naturalism, depth of field, and volumetric precision. While related Decursio sestertii were struck concurrently at the mint of Lugdunum (modern Lyon), type 108 is distinguished by Rome's stylistic treatment: it lacks the small globe terminal beneath the truncation of Nero's neck that typically characterizes the provincial Gallic workshop.

Obverse Iconography and Modeling

The obverse of RIC 108 presents a left-facing, laureate head of Nero. The portrait captures the distinctive, fleshy physiognomy associated with the latter half of his principate, characterized by heavy jowls, a prominent double chin, a thick neck, and intricately styled, stepped locks of hair cascading down the nape of the neck (often termed the coma in gradus formata). The laurel wreath is tied at the rear with two ribbon ties descending across the neck. In Roman imperial coinage, left-facing portraits on sestertii represent a deliberate compositional alternative to the more prevalent right-facing effigies. Within the catalogued structure of Nero's Rome issues, left-facing portraits appear across multiple reverse types, demonstrating that the mint operated paired or alternating workshops producing simultaneous left- and right-facing portrait dies. The modeling shows remarkable verism combined with regal monumentality, expressing the emperor's mature public image after his break from the tutelage of Seneca and Burrus.

Reverse Iconography: The Decursio

The reverse of RIC 108 depicts the Decursio, a ceremonial military exercise and cavalry maneuver closely linked to imperial pageantry. At the center of the dynamic tableau, Emperor Nero is shown bare-headed and clad in a cuirass, with his paludamentum (military cloak) billowing dramatically behind him. He rides a prancing, spirited warhorse galloping toward the right, holding a spear at rest horizontally in his right hand. Accompanying the emperor are two foot soldiers (pedites) acting as bodyguards, universally identified as members of the Praetorian Guard or elite imperial horsemen. Ahead of the horse, one soldier advances to the right while turning his head back toward Nero, bearing a military standard (vexillum) resting over his left shoulder. Behind the mount, a second helmeted soldier runs forward in full stride. The composition conveys a vivid sense of momentum, martial discipline, and spatial recession. Flanking the horse in the lower field are the letters S and C, while the exergue bears the legend DECVRSIO. This iconography celebrated Nero's role as commander of the armed forces and his active participation in the ritual cavalry games of the Roman youth (the lusus Troiae) and the Praetorian exercises.

Epigraphy and Imperial Titulature

The obverse legend encircles the portrait in a clockwise direction, reading: NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P IMP P P. This dense sequence presents the official expanded titles of the emperor: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Pontifex Maximus (High Priest), Tribunicia Potestate (endowed with Tribunician Power), Imperator (Supreme Military Acclamation), and Pater Patriae (Father of his Country). The inclusion of both IMP and P P firmly situates the type in Nero's mature coinage, after his widespread assumption of the title Pater Patriae. The reverse inscription is split between the exergual label DECVRSIO and the traditional senatorial authorization S C across the field. The word decursio denotes a tactical maneuver, mock battle, or ceremonial cavalcade performed by Roman soldiers and equestrian units. The lettering displays the refined, classical imperial epigraphy characteristic of the Rome mint, executed with crisp serifs, well-balanced letter spacing, and circular letterforms that conform closely to the inner rim of the die.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard classification of Roman Imperial Coinage, RIC I (second edition) Nero 108 is grouped within the Rome aes issues datable between 62 and 68 AD, with production predominantly concentrated around 64 to 65 AD following the coin reform. Sutherland catalogued the extensive Decursio series across multiple distinct entries depending on several diagnostic variables: portrait direction (left versus right), presence or absence of an aegis, specific obverse legend phrasing, and compositional details of the reverse cavalcade. Specifically, type 108 is distinguished from its close counterparts (such as RIC 103, 107, 163, and 168) by its precise combination of a laureate head facing left without an aegis, the unabbreviated obverse legend ending in IMP P P, and the reverse format featuring two accompanying soldiers (one with a vexillum). Other Decursio variants depict Nero accompanied by a single mounted comrade rather than foot soldiers, or present right-facing laureate busts. Typological analysis by David MacDowall demonstrated that these Decursio dies were part of an intensive, coordinated emission designed to supply imperial Rome with prestigious aes currency during the mid-60s AD.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Sestertii of the Decursio series circulated widely throughout Roman Italy and the western provinces, including Gaul, Hispania, and the militarized zones along the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Because of their substantial purchasing power, sestertii were extensively used in major cash transactions, market trade, and imperial tax collection. Consequently, specimens of RIC 108 entered long-term circulation, remaining in active commercial pools well beyond Nero's death into the Flavian era and the second century AD. Archaeological finds and hoard records from the western provinces frequently document Neronian sestertii surviving in worn conditions alongside coins of Galba, Vespasian, and Trajan. Because Nero suffered damnatio memoriae after his suicide in 68 AD, some of his base-metal coinage was subjected to defacement or secondary countermarking by rebel authorities such as Vindex or Galba. However, the immense volume and superior technical quality of the reformed Rome sestertii ensured that types like RIC 108 continued to circulate as trusted token orichalcum pieces until systemic debasements under later dynasties led to their eventual withdrawal and remelting.

References

1. The Western Coinages of Nero (Numismatic Notes and Monographs 161). pp. 85-115
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC I (second edition) Nero 108. ric.1(2).ner.108
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. I: From 31 BC to AD 69 (revised edition). pp. 130-145, 158