Nero - Temple of Janus

Rome was a warlike state. Whether expanding the bounds of the Empire or defending against the inroads of barbarians, war was usually to be found somewhere in the Roman world. When peaceful periods did occur, it was worthy of notice. The doors of the Temple of Janus in Rome were kept open anytime Rome was at war; in times of peace, they were closed. Below we see two legend varieties on copper asses issued in honor of one of those occasions. Actually, these coins more commemorated a political event, the visit of the Armenian king Tiradates, than a general peace. True, Rome was at peace with Armenia but, while this peace was being celebrated, a revolt was beginning in Judea that would last past Nero's death, through the Civil Wars of 68-69 AD and into the reign of Vespasian. Peace was tarnished long before our coins lost their mint luster.


Nero - Copper as - 9.9g. - c. 66 AD Temple of Janus with closed doors NERO CAESAR AVG GERM IMP PACE PR TERRA MARIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT - SC	Nero - Copper as - 10.5g. - c. 66 AD Temple of Janus with closed doors IMP NERO CAESAR AVG GERM PACE PR VBIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT - SC

The reverse legend on the left coin tells it all (with rather few abbreviations by coin standards): "Peace to the People of Rome both on land and sea having come, the doors of Janus he closed." Flanking the image of the temple (with closed doors) are the letters SC (Senatus Consulto) supposedly indicating that the coin was issued by decree of the Senate. The coin on the right simplifies the legend repalacing "on land and sea" with "everywhere". This type was issued in gold and silver as well as each of the bronze denominations. All coins of Nero are popular with collectors since he is one of the few names of Roman rulers known to people with no interest in Roman history. Nero's coinage in general is particularly rich in interesting types and the artwork of the period was frequently quite excellent. Demand causes a market even for embarrassingly bad, rough examples like the left coin. At least the coin was struck well enough centered that the important legend survived. Much of this coin's problem is the result of harsh cleaning that removed the natural patina leaving a rough, raw copper surface. By comparison, the right coin retains this patina which hides the color of the copper. Both coins started out with the same red copper color. Most collectors prefer coins with this natural patina left intact.

Janus himself, the god of beginnings, was the common type used on the Republican asses. His distinctive double head looked both to past and future. After common use in the Republic, Janus made only occasional appearances on the Imperial coinage. When he does appear, he is shown as a full length figure with the double head rather than as the bold double portrait.

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