Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG >Auction >Auction 25 (25.06.2003)
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Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG >Auction >Auction 25 (25.06.2003)
Lot :382
Price :10000 CHF (~7535 USD)
Description
The Roman Empire
Nero Augustus, 54 - 68
No.: 382
Schatzpreis - Estimate CHF 12000
d=34 mm
Sestertius circa 64, 27.65 g. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P Laureate head r. with aegis. Rev. AVG ? VSTI / S POR OST C Bird’s-eye view of the port of Ostia in the form of two crescent, the one l. bearing a pier with porticus of eleven columns ending in a temple, the other r., enclosing row of ten breakwaters within which large grain ship flanked by six other ships, of which two are galleys; above, at harbour mouth, lighthouse crowned by statue; below, Neptune reclining, holding rudder in r. hand and dolphin in l. RIC 178. BMC 131. C 37. CBN 300.
Very rare. Brownish-red patina and very fine / good very fine
Ex NAC sale 4, 1991, 326.
As an inland city of more than one million people during the reign of Nero, Rome relied heavily upon its Tyrrhenian Sea port at Ostia. Antioch, the great metropolis in Syria, was similarly positioned, as it was about the same distance (c. 15 miles) from its Mediterranean port at Seleucia. Though essential to major inland cities, ports and harbors were perhaps the most challenging of all engineering projects, and they were very costly to build and to maintain. It comes as no surprise that when great ports were completed, it was cause for celebration. To Romans, such occasions not only affirmed their international renown as engineers, but also represented a new opportunity to reap benefits in transportation, trade, grain supplies and military applications. The construction of a port at Ostia had been considered by both Julius Caesar and Augustus, but the projected expenses were so daunting that it was not until Claudius came to power that construction began; finally, it was finished during the reign of his adoptive son Nero
There are several variants of this famous reverse type, all of which show the harbor from a bird’s eye view, but which vary in the type and positioning of the vessels, which number from seven to twelve. Some fixed features are the breakwater and warehouses that form the perimeter, the Imperial statue at the top, the ocean-god Neptune holding a rudder and reclining on a dolphin at the bottom, and the inscription AVGVSTI POR OST SC. As successful as the harbor proved to be, it was not infallible. Tacitus reports that in 62 a storm sank 200 vessels that were anchored within the harbor, and by the reign of Trajan the harbor had to be greatly expanded. The depiction on this particular coin shows eight vessels, ranging from large commercial ships to a small transport vessel "
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