Semis - Nero CERTAMEN QVINQ ROM CO

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.