Coin, Didius Julianus, Sestertius
193 - Rome - VF(30-35) - Bronze - Cohen:17
Sold
Head of Didius Julianus to right, laureate.
Emperor standing to left with globe.
Coming from an important Milanese family and raised by the mother of Marcus Aurelius, Didius Julianus quickly reached high positions of the cursus honorum. First quaestor and then praetor, he obtained the command of legions in upper Germania and then became prefect of Gaul Belgium. He distinguished himself by his military actions in the defense of the limes, but involved in a failed plot against Commodus, the latter demoted him and moved him away from Rome by assigning him a post of proconsul of Africa. Following the assassination of Commodus and three months later that of Pertinax, Didius Julianus claims the title of emperor. He will have to pay a colossal donativum to the praetorian guard, but it works. Thus imposed to the Senate by the army, Didius Julianus is immediately hated by the senators as well as by the population. A general named Septimius Severus enters quickly in rebellion and rallies the cities of Italy, before being declared emperor by the Senate in June 193 at the expense of a Didius Julianus abandoned of all. Sentenced to death by the Senate, he ended up being murdered by a soldier in his imperial palace the day after his dismissal. The very short duration of his reign, hardly more than two months, from March 28, 193 to June 1, 193, makes all the rarity and the interest of his coinage, which will have been struck only in the mint of Rome. The sesterce we offer for sale is covered with a very nice green patina and comes with its old pouch.
18.63 gr
Bronze
Bronze (not to be confused with brass, although usage of the two terms varied in times of yore) is an extremely ancient alloy with origins going back to the period around 2,000 BC. Also known...wait for it...as the Bronze Age (who would have guessed?). Back in ancient times, a proportion of 10% tin was added to copper. It was used in particular for luxurious objects such as swords, helmets, hairpins, and even chariot ornaments.
That is by no means insignificant though, as when putting on a bronze helmet you would already find yourself with an extra 3 kilos or so on your head. Add to that your sword and armor…let’s see you advance quickly now!
The heavyweight of alloys one might say*.
The first Western bronze coins probably date back to the end of the 4th century BC and Greece.
Although the coins may be ancient, it is more difficult to date the appearance of a specific word for this alloy. The earliest record is a Venetian manuscript in Greek dating from the 11th century, but it is not impossible that it was in use earlier.
Nowadays, the bronze used in coinage is an alloy of copper (majority) and tin (minority) along with other metals such as zinc, for example, which improves the castability, or nickel, which produces a harder alloy. Its main qualities are undeniably its great resistance to corrosion and mechanical wear as well as...its aesthetic aspect.
The patina of bronze can vary, ranging from verdigris to brown through to black.
*Actually, puns aside, copper and cupronickel have a greater density, for example.
