| Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Herakles Auction 1 | Auction date: 14 October 2024 |
| Lot number: 93 Price realized: 9,500 EUR (Approx. 10,396 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Julius Nepos AD 474-475. Ravenna Solidus AV 20 mm, 4,47 g D N IVL NEPOS P F AVG, helmeted, pearl-diademed and cuirassed bust facing, holding spear and shield decorated with horseman and fallen enemy motif / VICTORIA AVGGG:, Victory standing facing, head to left, holding long jewelled cross; R-V across fields, COMOB in exergue. nearly extremely fine RIC X 3212; Depeyrot 41/1; DOC 939. Julius Nepos was one of the last emperors of the Western Roman Empire, ruling from AD 474 to 475, and his brief reign marked the final chapter of the Western Empire's decline. Appointed as emperor by the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I, Julius Nepos was sent to the West to restore order after the turbulent reign of the previous emperor, Glycerius, who had been installed without the consent of the Eastern court. Nepos' rise to power came during a period of extreme instability in the Western Roman Empire, which was already teetering on collapse due to internal divisions and external pressures from barbarian groups. Upon arriving in Italy, Nepos quickly deposed Glycerius and took the throne in AD 474. However, his reign would be short-lived, lasting less than a year. In AD 475, he was overthrown by his magister militum (commander of the army), Orestes, who placed his own young son, Romulus Augustulus, on the throneFollowing his overthrow, Julius Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where he continued to claim the imperial title and was recognized as the legitimate emperor by the Eastern Roman Empire. Despite his deposition, Nepos maintained a small power base in Dalmatia and was involved in efforts to reclaim his position in Italy. However, these efforts never came to fruition, and he remained in exile until his assassination in AD 480, likely orchestrated by supporters of his rival, Glycerius. Though his rule was short, Julius Nepos is often considered the penultimate Western Roman Emperor. While Romulus Augustulus, his successor, is more famously regarded as the "last" emperor of the West, many historians view Nepos as the true final ruler, given that he retained recognition from the Eastern court until his death in AD 480. His reign represents one of the last attempts to maintain the authority of the Western Roman Empire in its final years of existence Starting price: 5000 EUR |  |
