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Sestertius - Nero DECVRSIO S C
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 62-68 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 27.11 g |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts the emperor Nero, bare-headed and cuirassed with a military cloak (paludamentum) billowing behind him, mounted on a prancing horse moving to the right and holding a spear in his right hand. Flanking him are two mounted soldiers — one in front and one behind — each riding to the left and carrying a vexillum (military standard) over the shoulder, evoking the ceremonial cavalry exercise known as the decursio. The scene is rendered in energetic, dynamic composition typical of Neronian military imagery, celebrating the emperor's connection to the Roman army. The exergual area is plain, with the legend divided in the field. |
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| Mintage | ND (62-68) |
| Additional information |
The DECVRSIO type commemorates the military exercise known as the decursio — a cavalry drill performed publicly, often as part of imperial funerary games or to display martial readiness. Nero staged elaborate versions of these displays, partly as political theater at a time when his relationship with the army was never fully secure. Whether the issue was tied to a specific event or served a more general propagandistic function remains debated among specialists.
RIC I 397 falls within the later Neronian orichalcum series produced at Rome, struck after Nero's monetary reform of 64 AD which adjusted the weight standards for both gold and silver coinage.