A scholar and writer largely ignored by
his illustrious relatives, Claudius
became emperor, almost by accident, upon
the death of his nephew Caligula. It
had been wrongly assumed up to that
point that Claudius was of weak mind and
body, but it had taken considerable
cleverness to survive the trials of
family life among the Julio-Claudians.
Once on the throne, Claudius proved to
be a capable and thoughtful ruler. His
reign, for which this superb Aureus is a
fitting token, saw Rome rise to new
heights of glory. The portrait it bears
is an idealize3d image, but appropriated
to the inner character of this most
fascinating of Roman Emperors.
- (FJ.0432)
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