| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 146 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 2318 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: In the name of Nero Claudius Drusus, brother of Tiberius and father of Claudius. Aureus 41-45, AV 19 mm, 7.78 g. [NERO] CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMANICVS IMP Laureate head l. Rev. Triumphal arch surmounted by equestrian statue between two trophies; over and on architrave, DE / GERM. C 1. BMC Claudius 95. RIC Claudius 69. CBN Claudius 95. Calicó 315 Rare and in unusually fine condition for this difficult issue. A finely detailed reverse type. Slightly off-centre on obverse, otherwise extremely fine Ex NGSA sale 10, 2018, 30. Roman history, like that of any enduring empire, allows for speculation about how the course of events might have changed had certain people died, or in this case, not died. A perfect study in this is Nero Claudius Drusus, the younger brother of Tiberius. Unlike Tiberius, whom Augustus had always disliked, Drusus was much beloved by Rome's first emperor. When Augustus wrested Livia from her first husband, she was pregnant with Drusus, and gave birth to him months after her marriage to Augustus. It is commonly understood that Livia's first husband had sired Nero Claudius Drusus – but perhaps it is not impossible that Augustus was the father. Speculation aside, Augustus took instantly to the new-born Drusus and treated him as if he was a son of his own blood. The same cannot be said for Drusus' brother Tiberius, who was already four years old when he came to live in Augustus' household. Augustus saw personally to Drusus' education and arranged his marriage to his extraordinarily noble and wealthy niece Antonia. Drusus' career advanced quickly and, after commanding alongside his brother, he spent three years leading a campaign in Germany. Whilst there Drusus was able to dedicate the great Altar of Lugdunum to Augustus on August 1, 10 B.C., the very day that his youngest son, Claudius (who struck this aureus in posthumous remembrance 50 years after his death) was born. However, Drusus' great possibilities ended tragically in 9 B.C. when he died of the injuries he received falling off a horse at age 29. This reverse type celebrates his German campaign – for which his eldest son, Germanicus, was renamed – and depicts a now-lost triumphal arch. Estimate: 20000 CHF |  |
