Long Table 170. The Imperial Coinage of Nerva, Part 1: Nerva as Supreme Military Commander
Channel: American Numismatic Society
Date: 2024-02-12

In the first of a three-part series that will explore the messages, audiences, and relative frequencies of Nerva’s imperial coinage (96-98 CE) according to recorded finds and hoards, Nathan Elkins, ANS Deputy Director, focuses on Nerva’s “military types.” Martial themes and types celebrating military concord on Nerva’s coinage have traditionally been interpreted as apologetic, aspirational, or indicating a need to capitalize on victories along the frontier in view of perceived anxieties about civil war after Domitian’s (81-96 CE) assassination and Nerva’s own lack of military experience. Dr. Elkins challenges these viewpoints by putting the coinage in its broader historical, visual, and numismatic contexts.