The "Certamen Quinquennale Romae Constitutum" inscription places this piece squarely within Nero's establishment of the Neronia, a Greek-style festival he introduced in 60 AD — games held every five years encompassing music, gymnastics, and equestrian events. The project was deeply controversial; conservative senators viewed the whole spectacle as a corruption of Roman values by Hellenic culture, and Tacitus records the Senate's open hostility to the enterprise.
RIC I #91 is among the bronze issues struck under the reorganized Neronian coinage system following his currency reform of 64 AD, which reduced weights across the aes denominations.
The "Certamen Quinquennale Romae Constitutum" inscription places this piece squarely within Nero's establishment of the Neronia, a Greek-style festival he introduced in 60 AD — games held every five years encompassing music, gymnastics, and equestrian events. The project was deeply controversial; conservative senators viewed the whole spectacle as a corruption of Roman values by Hellenic culture, and Tacitus records the Senate's open hostility to the enterprise.
RIC I #91 is among the bronze issues struck under the reorganized Neronian coinage system following his currency reform of 64 AD, which reduced weights across the aes denominations.