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Sestertius - Nero ADLOCVT COH S C
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 62-68 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 26.00 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Nero, bare-headed and togate, stands left on a raised platform (suggestum) accompanied by his praetorian prefect, extending his right hand in the adlocutio gesture toward three soldiers standing before him; the foremost soldier carries military standards. In the background, a battlemented structure surmounts a colonnaded building, likely representing the Praetorian Camp in Rome. The scene commemorates Nero's formal address to the Praetorian Guard, a key act of imperial legitimation at the outset of his reign. The composition is rendered with careful attention to figural detail and architectural framing, typical of the finest Neronian bronze coinage. The senatorial authorization mark SC appears in the exergual field. |
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| Mint | Rome Mint |
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| Additional information |
The ADLOCVT COH type — depicting Nero addressing the Praetorian Guard — almost certainly commemorates the donative paid to secure their loyalty following his accession in 54 AD, though it continued striking well into his reign. The Praetorian connection was not incidental: it was Burrus, prefect of the Guard, who physically presented the young emperor to the troops and negotiated the cash payment that made his succession viable.
By the later years of this issue's production, Nero's relationship with the Guard had deteriorated sharply. The same institution that underwrote his rise would ultimately refuse to defend him in 68 AD.