Claudius I (AD 41-54). AV aureus (19mm, 7.79 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5, marks, edge marks, brushed....
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Claudius I (AD 41-54). AV aureus (19mm, 7.79 gm, 6h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5, marks, edge marks, brushed. Rome, AD 46-47. TI•CLAVD•CAESAR•AVG•P•M•TR•P•VI•IMP•XI, laureate head of Claudius I right; dotted border / PACI-AVGVSTAE, Pax-Nemesis advancing right, raising fold of drapery below chin with right hand to spit on chest, winged caduceus downward in left pointing at snake advancing right; dotted border. Calicó 367. RIC I 38. Sharp details on a marigold flan. From the Randy & Nancy Best Collection. Spitting on one's chest was an apotropaic gesture in Ancient Rome to ward off Nemesis and the ill fortunes she brings. Son of the great general Drusus, and Antonia, niece of the emperor Augustus, Tiberius Claudius Drusus seemed well-positioned when he was born in 10 BC. But a serious childhood illness left him with a limp, a stammer, and other qualities that made him the black sheep of the family. While these problems barred him from a political career, such exclusion also granted him immunity from the family's murderous intrigues. Upon Caligula's assassination in January, AD 41, Claudius was the sole surviving Julio-Claudian male and, when members of the Praetorian Guard found him cowering behind a curtain in the palace, they immediately acclaimed him as Emperor. Claudius astutely awarded the Praetorians a substantial bonus, and with 10,000 heavily armed soldiers backing him, he easily forced the Senate to accept him as the next princeps. Once installed, Claudius surprised everyone by ruling with intelligence and moderation. In AD 43, he ordered the invasion and annexation of Britain, the first major addition of territory to the Empire since the days of Augustus. He exercised discernment in his selection of provincial governors and exhibited adept diplomacy in handling foreign relations. However, his notable shortcomings lay in his excessive attention to minutiae, dependence on freedmen and close associates, and his questionable choices in romantic partners. ...
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