Nerva Copper As, RIC II Nerva 79

Monetary Context and Denominational Setting

The as functioned as the standard foundational copper-alloy denomination of the imperial monetary system established under the Augustan reforms. Struck in essentially pure copper, as opposed to the brass orichalcum employed for the sestertius and dupondius, the as was valued at one-sixteenth of a silver denarius or four quadrantes. In AD 97, Nerva presided over a monetary system functioning under significant fiscal pressure following the financial disruption and political instability surrounding the fall of the Flavian dynasty. The base-metal coinage struck at Rome during this year served both practical and ideological functions. Everyday local commerce required an uninterrupted supply of fractional denominations for markets, retail transactions, and day-to-day expenditures. RIC II Nerva 79 represented one of the primary copper denominations issued to maintain liquidity, while simultaneously transmitting urgent messages of political cohesion to the urban populace and soldiers interacting with daily currency in circulation.

Production and Mint Organization

All regular imperial base-metal strikings for Nerva, including RIC II Nerva 79, were concentrated at the primary central mint in Rome. Mint operations maintained high standards of production, employing standardized blank preparation, heated flan striking, and die alignment that typically centered on an upright or inverted vertical axis (six o'clock or twelve o'clock). As typical for mid-imperial copper asses, specimens generally range in weight around 9 to 11 grams with diameters hovering between 26 and 29 millimeters, although historical striking tolerances produced variability across surviving dies. The presence of the formulaic S C inscription confirms that production followed the long-standing administrative convention wherein the Roman Senate formally authorized base-metal coinage, even while imperial administrators strictly controlled the mint's output, artistic direction, and bullion allocations.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse of RIC II Nerva 79 presents a distinctive, highly naturalistic profile head of Nerva facing right, crowned with a laurel wreath tied with ribbons at the nape of the neck. Roman die-engravers rendered Nerva with unsparing realism, departing somewhat from the idealized or heavily structured portraits of the later Flavian emperors. The portrait captures his advanced age, characterized by a prominent aquiline nose, sunken cheeks, a sharp jawline, and furrowed brow contours. The laurel wreath symbolizes triumph and sovereign authority, yet the treatment remains grounded in traditional senatorial verism, presenting the emperor as an experienced magistrate and civic leader rather than an autocratic commander.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse displays two clasped right hands, an ancient symbolic gesture termed the dextrarum iunctio, executed horizontally across the central field. Flanking this motif are the large letters S and C in the left and right fields, representing Senatus Consulto. The clasped hands served as an unmistakable visual shorthand for concord, shared oaths, and mutual trust. Unlike parallel variants of the Concordia Exercituum theme that incorporate military standards, legionary eagles, or a naval prow between or behind the hands, RIC II Nerva 79 presents the hands in isolation. This unadorned composition focuses entirely on the pact between the emperor and his armed forces, emphasizing mutual solidarity and the reconciliation of civic authority with military power.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The obverse legend reads IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS III P P, moving clockwise around the circumference. This formula records Nerva's official imperial nomenclature and civic-religious offices: Imperator Nerva Caesar Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, holder of the Tribunician Power (Tribunicia Potestate), Consul for the third time (Consul III), and Father of the Fatherland (Pater Patriae). The reverse legend reads CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM, wrapping around the upper perimeter above the clasped hands. This dedication translates as 'Harmony of the Armies', personifying the desired unity among the disparate provincial legions and the Praetorian Guard under the reign of the princeps.

Typology, Dating, and Varietal Relations

RIC II Nerva 79 is dated precisely to AD 97 based on the obverse consular dating COS III. Nerva assumed his third consulship on January 1, AD 97, and took his fourth on January 1, AD 98, confining this issue strictly to the twelve months of AD 97. The clasped hands motif with the CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM legend appeared across multiple denominations in this year, including aurei, denarii, sestertii, and dupondii. Within the base-metal series, numismatists distinguish RIC II Nerva 79 from related types that display additional symbols: RIC II Nerva 80, for instance, adds a military standard set on a prow between the clasped hands, and RIC II Nerva 81 features standards without the prow. RIC II Nerva 79 represents the standard, simple clasped-hands variant of the as struck during Nerva's third consulship.

Circulation Life and Archaeological Context

Because Nerva reigned for less than a year and a half, his coin issues were minted in comparatively modest volumes compared to long-ruling predecessors like Domitian or successors like Trajan. Nonetheless, RIC II Nerva 79 entered wide circulation across the western provinces and the Italian peninsula. Copper asses experienced high velocity in retail trade, leading to typical wear patterns that often smoothed the high points of Nerva's portrait and the delicate finger joints on the reverse. Excavations across military encampments along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as civilian settlements in Roman Britain and Gaul, demonstrate that Nerva's base-metal coins circulated alongside earlier Flavian and subsequent Trajanic issues, often remaining in circulation for decades until worn flat or recalled during later bronze recoinages.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 17-18
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Nerva 79. ric.2.ner.79
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 229, no. 79
4. Nerva Caesar Augustus: Emperor of Rome. pp. 64-75