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Sestertius - Galba ROMA S C, Roma
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 68-69 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Roma personified, helmeted and clad in military dress, seated left upon a cuirass, holding a spear in her right hand and a parazonium (short sword) in her left hand. Various captured arms and military trophies are depicted around her in the field, emphasizing Roman martial supremacy. The exergue and field bear the abbreviated legend ROMA S C, the latter indicating authorization by Senatus Consultum. The composition follows the established Julio-Claudian iconographic tradition for the Roma type on large bronze denominations. |
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| Additional information |
Galba's reign lasted just seven months, and his sestertii reflect the administrative scramble of a provincial governor — commander of Hispania Tarraconensis — suddenly thrust into power following Nero's suicide in June 68. The ROMA S C type was part of an effort to project senatorial legitimacy, the S C formula signaling that these issues carried the formal approval of the Senate, a relationship Galba was desperate to cultivate and equally quick to undermine through his rigid, alienating conduct in Rome.
His assassination on January 15, 69 AD, in the Roman Forum, cut production abruptly. RIC I 447 is among the commoner of his sestertius types, but "common" for Galba remains relative given the brevity of the mint's operation under his name.