SYRIA. Antioch. Nero (AD 54-68). AR tetradrachm (26mm, 14.86 gm, 12h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 4/5. Dated Caesarean Era Year 105 and Regnal Year 3 (AD 56/7). ΝΕΡΩΝΟΣ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΥΙ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒ•, head of Nero right, wreathed with oak / ΑΓΡΙΠΠΕΙΝΗΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗΣ, draped bust of Agrippina Junior right, seen from front, with curls at brow and hair falling in ringlets with queue down back of neck; Γ (regnal date) above ΕΡ (civic date) in right fields. Prieur 74. RPC I 4175. Nero, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in AD 37, ascended to the Roman imperial throne in AD 54, initiating a tumultuous reign that both captivated and horrified contemporaries. Initially perceived as a youthful and promising ruler, Nero's early years were marked by relative stability. However, his later years were characterized by a series of erratic and tyrannical acts. Nero's infatuation with the arts and his lavish spending on grandiose construction projects, such as the Domus Aurea, strained the Roman treasury. His ruthless suppression of the Pisonian conspiracy and persecution of Christians tarnished his legacy further. The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, though often attributed to Nero, remains a subject of historical debate. Ultimately, Nero's reign culminated in a revolt by the Roman Senate, leading to his suicide in AD 68, marking the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and leaving a complex legacy as both a patron of the arts and a symbol of tyranny in Roman history. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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