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Aureus - Nerva CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 96 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two right hands clasped in a dextrarum iunctio (handshake), a powerful symbol of concordia and military allegiance, depicted in bold relief at the center of the coin. The motif fills the field without additional iconographic elements, underscoring the propagandistic message of harmony between the new emperor and his legions. The circular legend CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM runs around the periphery in well-spaced Latin capitals, enclosed within a beaded border consistent with the obverse. The plain, unadorned field and the simplicity of the reverse design are characteristic of Nerva's earliest coinage struck in AD 96, immediately following his accession. |
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| Edge | Plain (irregular) |
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| Additional information |
Nerva's first gold coinage, struck within weeks of Domitian's assassination in September 96 AD, was explicitly designed to reassure the legions. The legend CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM — harmony of the armies — was not confidence; it was anxiety made into metal. The armies had not chosen Nerva. The Praetorian Guard eventually forced him to hand over Domitian's killers for execution, a humiliation that likely accelerated his adoption of Trajan in October 97 as a bid for military legitimacy.
RIC II #2 is among the earliest issues of his reign, struck at Rome under conditions of considerable political instability.