Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying Emperor Nero
64-65
Medium
Billon
Dimensions
Diam.: 2.6 cm (1 1/16 in.)
Classification
coin
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
142271
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Emperor Nero, facing right, and radiate. The back (reverse) portrays the bust of Poppaea (second wife of Nero, who was her third husband), facing right. The back includes the date of minting, " L IA", which is the eleventh year of his rule as emperor, or 64-65 CE. Nero reigned from 54-68 CE. Poppaea and Nero married in 62 CE. Coins such as this tetradrachm were struck to advertise the new imperial couple. Both portraits convey a sense of con...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....