Long Table 177. The Imperial Coinage of Nerva, Part 2: Nerva, the Senate, and the People of Rome
Channel: American Numismatic Society
Date: 2024-04-08

In the second of a three-part series that explores the messages, audiences, and relative frequencies of Nerva’s imperial coinage (96-98 CE) according to recorded finds and hoards, ANS Deputy Director Nathan Elkins focuses on Nerva’s types that targeted the people of Rome and Italy. Such coins bore images that would have resonated most with important constituencies in the city of Rome, primarily the Senate and urban plebs or to the people of Italy, and which refer specifically to Nerva’s relationships with these privileged groups. These types are generally the least common of Nerva’s coins according to finds and hoards: available evidence suggests most tended to circulate primarily in Rome and Italy, where they would have had the most relevance to viewers.