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Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
"The most important skill of a ruler is to endure hatred." (Seneca to Nero) Salus was the goddess of health and safety, whose Greek equivalent was Hygieia, the daughter of Asclepius. In 304 BCE, during the Samnite Wars, a temple dedicated to her was built. From then on, the ceremony known as Augurium Salutis was celebrated (only when Rome was not engaged in war) to ensure the continuity of the Roman state.
In 65 CE, after the failed assassination attempt on Nero's life (the Pisonian Conspiracy), the emperor built a temple dedicated to Salus and honored her on the reverse of his coins. She is depicted as a young woman holding a scepter and a patera, from which a snake feeds. The snake, due to its shedding of skin—symbolizing rebirth—represents the renewal of life and healing.
Denomination: Denarius, Ag
Obverse: Laureate head of Nero to right, NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS
Reverse: Salus seated left on throne, holding patera in her right hand, SALVS
Mint: Rome, 65-66 A.D.
Weight: 3,22 g
Diameter: 17mm
Provenance: Emporium Hamburg Numismatics
Riferimento : 5.2 RIC I 60, RSC 314
Collezione : IMPERIUM ROMANUM 01 - Julio-Claudian