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Drachm - Nero and Claudius DIVOS CLAVD AVGVST GERMANIC PATER AVG
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 63-64 |
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| Reference(s) | RIC I#622, OCRE#ric.1(2).ner.622 |
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| Reverse description | Laureate bust of the deified Claudius facing right, portrayed with mature, idealized features consistent with posthumous commemorative portraiture. The legend encircling the effigy reads DIVOS CLAVD AVGVST GERMANIC PATER AVG, honouring Claudius as the divine father of the reigning emperor Nero. This reverse type was struck as a pious tribute by Nero to legitimize his dynastic connection to his adoptive father. The engraving style is somewhat softer and more schematic than the obverse portrait, typical of provincial die-cutting for posthumous issues. The field is lightly worn with natural cabinet toning. |
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| Mintage | ND (63-64) |
| Additional information |
This Caesarean mint drachm was struck in the immediate aftermath of Claudius's deification, a politically calculated move by Nero to legitimize his own position — Claudius had, after all, adopted him. The honorific *Divus* was granted by the Senate in 54 AD, though Seneca's biting satirical pamphlet *Apocolocyntosis* ("The Pumpkinification of Claudius") suggests not everyone found the deification convincing. Nero's own relationship with his adoptive father's memory was, to put it mildly, complicated.
RIC I 622 is among the rarer drachm types from the Caesarean mint, which operated with considerably lower output than Rome during this period.