Nero, Lugdunum mint, 65 AD.,
copper As (28-30 mm / 10,34 g),
Obv.: [N]ERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER PM TR P IMP [P P] , laureate head of Nero r., globe at the end of neck.
Rev.: S - C / ARA PACIS (in ex.), the Ara Pacis Augustae.
RIC 460 ; WCN 571 .
The Ara Pacis Augustae, or Altar of Augustan Peace, was an elaborate structure erected on the Campus Martius (along with Augustus' Mausoleum and horologium) and consisted of a sacrificial altar enclosed within a screen. Constructed of Parian marble, the screen panels were carved in high relief: the exterior panels included both mythological and allegorical scenes, while the interior was highlighted by frieze depicting an imperial procession made up of both the imperial family and Rome's leading citizens. Whether this scene depicts the arch's foundation in 13 BC or its dedication in 9 BC has been the subject of much scholarly debate, though the former date has been the more accepted, since the recognizable figure of Marcus Agrippa (died 12 BC) has been included among the imperial family.