Obverse: IMP L AVREL VERVS AVG; Bust of the
Emperor Facing Right
Reverse: PROV DEOR TR P COS II; Providentia
Standing to the Left, Holding a Globe and a
Cornucopiae
Lucius Verus was the son of Hadrian's adopted
heir, Aelius Caesar and was only eight years old
when his father died. When Hadrian adopted
Antoninus Pius as his heir to the throne, part of
the agreement was that Antoninus would adopt
Lucius Verus as well as Marcus Aurelius. When
Marcus Aurelius became emperor upon the
death of Antoninus Pius, Verus became his co-
emperor. Lucius Verus married Marcus Aurelius'
fifteen-year-old daughter in 164 A.D., which
strengthened the family ties even further. Lucius
Verus is remembered for being a fairly successful
military conqueror and hero. He conquered both
Armenia and Medea, and even invaded the
Parthian capital of Ctesiphon at a time when
Parthia was one of Rome's greatest rivals. It was
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius
Verus that the plague was brought back to Rome
from the East by one of the returning armies.
Many citizens died in the tragic epidemic. In
January of 169 A.D., on the road back from a
successful campaign along the Danube, Verus
succumbed to a fatal stroke.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a memorial
to an emperor’s reign passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant today as
the day it was struck.
