Nero Billon Tetradrachm AD 67-68

Nero Billon Tetradrachm (24x25mm 12.24g)
Alexandria, Egypt AD 65-66

Obv:  ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑΥ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΑΥ Radiate bust of Nero, left. LIΔ(RY 14)

Rev: ΠΙΘΙΟΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Laureate bust of Apollo right, quiver at shoulder

Emmett 112, Milne 288  RPC I, 5318

The Obverse (Front): The Grand Tour Portrait

On the front, we see a distinct left-facing portrait of the emperor. By this point in his reign, Nero's portraits had become remarkably heavy and theatrical.

• The Crown: He is depicted wearing a radiate crown, symbolizing his self-association with the sun god, Helios.
• The Date Code: Just in front of or below his profile, you can see the letters LIΔ. As you know, the L is the ancient Egyptian symbol for "Regnal Year." The IΔ represents the Greek numeral 14. This marks Regnal Year 14 of Nero's rule. Because he became emperor in October of AD 54, Year 14 corresponds perfectly to AD 67–68. Nero committed suicide in June of AD 68, making this type one of the final coins struck during his lifetime.
• The Inscription: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑΥ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΑΥ. This standard Alexandrian title translates from Greek as: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Imperator.

The Reverse (Back): Nero’s True Passion

The reverse design is incredibly telling of Nero’s mindset during these final years. Instead of featuring a traditional Roman deity or an allegory of state power, it depicts Pythian Apollo.

• The Imagery: A gorgeous right-facing portrait of Apollo Pythios, wearing a laurel wreath, with his signature arrows or quiver visible over his shoulder.
• The Inscription: ΠΙΘΙΟΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ (Pythios Apollon).
• The Historical Connection: Nero considered himself a supreme artist, musician, and charioteer, and he viewed Apollo—the god of music, poetry, and the arts—as his personal patron and divine counterpart. In AD 66–67, Nero left Rome unattended to embark on a grand tour of Greece, competing in all the traditional Panhellenic games (including the Pythian Games at Delphi, dedicated to Apollo). Naturally, he "won" every single contest he entered. This coin issue is a proud celebration of those artistic triumphs, presenting the emperor as the earthly mirror of the god of music.

The Historical Context: The Calm Before the Storm

While this coin was busy promoting Nero's musical achievements and divine favor to the people of Egypt, the western Roman world was rapidly descending into chaos.

By early AD 68, governors in Gaul and Spain were actively rebelling, and the Senate would soon declare Nero a public enemy. When Nero died in June of AD 68, the Julio-Claudian dynasty ended with him, plunging the empire into the bloody civil wars of the Year of the Four Emperors.

Because Egypt was the vital breadbasket of Rome, whoever controlled Alexandria controlled the grain supply—and the mint. Consequently, within months of this Apollo coin being struck, the Alexandrian moneyers would find themselves suddenly scrambling to melt down these billon flans and re-tool their dies to strike portraits of a brand-new ruler: Galba.

It is a beautiful, tragic artifact that perfectly captures the contrast between Nero's artistic fantasy and his impending political reality.