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Hey #CLST6! For this #LookCloser5 & #Project3 I'll be analyzing a Roman Imperial sestertius featuring Nero. The Hood Museum places the date of this coin in an incredibly wide range (1-500 A.D.), but other sources put it within the range of 64-65 A.D. (10-11 yrs. into Nero's rule)
The back of the coin is what I'll be focusing on for this thread. The back features the Temple of Janus encompassed by the Latin: PACE P R TERRA MARIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT S C.
This translates from the Latin "Pace Populo Romano Terra Marique Parta Ianum Clusit Senatus Consulto" to the English "Peace of the Roman People being established on Land and Sea, the Gates of the Temple of Janus are Closed By Decree of the Senate."
So basically, there's a symbolic purpose behind whether or not the doors to the Temple of Janus are closed or open in Rome. If they're open that means that Rome is at war. If closed, Rome is at peace.
What makes this particular coin so interesting is that Rome was supposedly not at peace when it was minted. In other words, this is an attempt by the Emperor Nero at political propaganda (I promise I'll say more on this in my future #Project3).
Citations:
Dartmouth Hood Museum of Art, "Nero, Roman Imperial, Roman Empire, Sestertius." Object #: 27.1.29288 https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/objects/27.1.29288
Townend, G. B. “Tacitus, Suetonius and the Temple of Janus.” Hermes, vol. 108, no. 2, 1980, pp. 233–242. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4476162 .
Dartmouth Hood Museum of Art, "Nero, Roman Imperial, Roman Empire, Sestertius." Object #: 27.1.29288 https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/objects/27.1.29288
Townend, G. B. “Tacitus, Suetonius and the Temple of Janus.” Hermes, vol. 108, no. 2, 1980, pp. 233–242. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4476162 .
