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| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 68-69 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Bare head of Galba facing right, with characteristically aged and fleshy features rendered in a naturalistic portrait style. The emperor is depicted with short, thinning hair combed forward and a strongly defined jaw, consistent with authentic numismatic portraiture of this reign. The surrounding legend reads IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG, distributed around the periphery of the flan. The field is plain, and the coin is bounded by a beaded border. The portrait conveys imperial authority befitting Galba's brief but significant tenure as emperor during the Year of the Four Emperors. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Galba's ROMA RENASCENS coinage — "Rome reborn" — was produced during one of the most unstable stretches of the entire Principate. Galba minted heavily upon seizing power in 68 AD, partly to pay the legions who had backed him, but fatally refused to honor the donative promised by his agents during the recruitment phase. That refusal, more than any military or political failing, turned the Praetorian Guard against him.
He was murdered in the Forum on January 15, 69 AD, seven months into his reign — the first emperor to fall in the Year of the Four Emperors.