Maturing portraits of Nero

A silver cistophorus (three denarius) of 50-51 CE, portrays Nero at 13, before he became emperor. Nero, as Caesar, AR Denarius. 51-54 AD. On the reverse sacral implements of the different priests. Nero was around 18 in 54 AD.

Maturing portraits on Roman coins is rare. Few emperors began their reigns young and ruled long enough that aging can be observed in their coinage. Nero evolved dramatically from a slender youth to a heavy-set autocrat, charting his psychological shift and physical decline from age 12 to 30. Nero was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger, sister of Caligula. Due to his maternal family line, Nero was the great-great-grandson of  Augustus. This helped him to legitimate his position as emperor. Nero became emperor in 50 CE at age 16 due to the influence of his mother over Claudius.

Nero was 20 when this portrait appeared on silver denarii of 56-57 CE. Nero was 22 or 23 on a tetradrachm struck 59-60 CE. Nero was 25 in 62-63 CE.

Nero is infamous for brutally debasing currency and severely taxing to fund his palace, the Domus Aurea.

A menacing portrait appeared on a silver tetradrachm of 65-66 CE.

Nero is also famous for persecuting Christians and blaming them for the great fire of 64 AD. The great fire cleared the way for Nero's Domus Aurea on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome.

This coin was struck within a year of his death in 68. He was about 30.

Hoard of five Roman Republican silver denarii

A rare hoard of five Roman Republican silver denarii was uncovered near Halle (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. One coin dates to 148 BC, and the other four were minted between 82 and 79 BC. Heavy wear indicates the silver coins were in active circulation before being buried. Experts believe the coins were kept together in a small pouch that was eventually scattered by farming. Found well outside the borders of the Roman Empire, the silver likely arrived via trade. Three of the five coins are serrated denarii, known as serrati, with saw-like edges. Two of those carry scratched graffiti.

People living in what is now Saxony-Anhalt didn't use coins as everyday money. The silver denarii likely served as prized objects and a store of wealth. The coins could have reached the area through trade, diplomatic gifts, payments, exchanges between Germanic groups, or Roman military campaigns. Earlier archaeological work has linked Roman expeditions led by Drusus, Ahenobarbus, and the future Emperor Tiberius to central Germany. Roman marching camps have also been identified in the region.