The artefacts we propose today to your attention provide us a gateway across the centuries, and allow us to have a brief glimpse into the daily lives and the political machinations of the ancient world. The number of vessels connected to dining and drinking would have been part of the rituals of socialisation of the elites, while the coins tell us much about the messages that leaders wanted to convey to the people. In particular, we present you two exceptionally rare gold coins struck during the “year of the four Emperors”, the succession crisis following the death of Nero in AD 68, when four men rapidly succeeded to each other on the throne. I am sure that you’ll find interesting looking at how, during a period of deep political and institutional crisis while the Empire was on the verge of civil war, two men sitting on the throne -Galba and Otho-, used their coinage to portray idealised themes of harmony, peace, and triumph. We hope that these objects will be of interest to you, |
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