Lot 4421
Nero, AD 54-68. AE Sestertius (26.3g) minted at Lugdunum (Lyon) ca. AD 66. IMP NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX TRIB POT P P. Laureate head of Nero left; globe at point of bust. Reverse: PORT AVG (retrograde); S C, above. The Port of Ostia: seven ships within the harbor; pharos at top surmounted by statue of Neptune; reclining figure of Tiber below holding rudder and dolphin. RIC 513. Uniform deep olive-green patina with pleasing details. Very Fine/Fine.
The limitations of Rome's river harbor of Ostia had long been recognized: sandbars prevented larger ships from entering and goods had to be transferred to smaller craft. Seeking to rectify this and also to help solve Rome's constant problem with grain shortages, Claudius began the building of an artificial harbor in AD 42. Constructed in a semi-circle, the new harbor had two moles. As part of the building process, one of Caligula's pleasure galleys was scuttled and filled with cement. A lighthouse was erected above surmounted by a statue of Neptune (depicted on this coin's reverse). The Port was finished under Nero about four years or so before the striking of this Sestertius. Further expansion was done under Trajan and Hadrian. Because of unresolved silting, by the Fourth Century, the Port of Ostia fell into disuse.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000.
The Hunter Collection.
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| Realized $3,680 |
