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The reign of Roman emperor Otho (32-69 AD) was a whirlwind – a mere three months marked by political upheaval and civil war. Otho's rise to power was fueled by ambition and opportunism. He capitalized on the unpopularity of the preceding emperor, Galba, and secured the support of the Praetorian Guard. However, his claim to the throne was challenged by Vitellius, another ambitious general. The ensuing struggle highlighted the Roman Empire’s lack of clear succession rules and plunged the empire into chaos.
Due to his brief reign, Otho’s coins are constrained in their denominations, mints, and designs. Even so, Otho’s issues provide great interest, especially for their insights into the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors. Otho’s imperial issues are limited to silver denarii and gold aurei struck in Rome, and apparently lack any bronze coins, perhaps an effort to maximize efficiency in funding his troops. Only three other, provincial mints struck coins for Otho, namely Antioch and Antioch ad Orontem in Syria, and Alexandria in Egypt. Apparently, no other mints produced coins in Otho’s name.
The current coin provides an example of Otho’s provincial coinage. The obverse depicts the laureate head of Otho and the epithet ΑΥΤΟΚ ΜΑΡΚ ΟΘΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣ, denoting Emperor Marcus Otho Caesar Augustus. Below, the letters A and L identify the source as the Alexandria mint. Contemplating the obverse bust more closely, the unknown engraver of this coin successfully conveys Otho's determination to face an uncertain future. Of particular interest is Otho’s flowing coiffure beneath his laurel crown. On this coin, and even more prominently on imperial issues, Otho’s hairstyle is reminiscent of his former imperial boss Nero. This portrayal is consistent with reports that Otho wore a wig modeled after Nero’s hairstyle. Whether meant to be an honor, an attempt to curry favor with the masses, or simply personal taste, Otho’s choice to emulate the last Julio-Claudian dynast is intriguing. When Otho previously served as one of Nero's generals, he was chosen to protect the emperor’s favorite mistress, Poppaea. Apparently, Otho took the role too much to heart, and ended up marrying Poppaea. The jealous Nero annulled the marriage, and banished Otho to Lusitania.
Also intriguing is the question as to why, among the myriad of provincial mints, this coin originated in Alexandria. An answer may be found of verso, which bears a female figure holding Nike and a trophy. The reverse inscription reads KPATHΣIΣ, the Greek word for power, and identifies the figure as Kratesis, the goddess of power who secured for Rome power over Egypt. The festival of Kratesis was a major event in the eastern provinces, and reportedly was held whenever Rome transitioned power to a new emperor. Otho’s predecessor also issued similar coins struck in Alexandria featuring Kratesis on the reverse. It is logical to assume that Otho prioritized his own Alexandrian coinage featuring Kratesis to legitimize his ascension in the wake of Galba’s murder.
In this fashion, Otho exploited coinage as propaganda to help advertise and strengthen his position. No wonder, since from his first day in office, Otho was challenged by another ambitious general, namely Vitellius, who was hailed emperor by the troops in Germania Inferior and Germania Superior. Within just a few months, Vitellius garnered additional support from Gaul, Britannia and Raetia. Even though Otho had achieved his goal to reach Rome’s throne, he found that sitting upon it wasn’t very comfortable. According to ancient historian Suetonius, Otho often commented
“With long pipes what concern have I?”, suggesting that the new emperor lamented that wearing the purple was an undertaking beyond his abilities and ambitions.
Having realized that having power was not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting it, Otho tried to reconcile with Vitellius with an offering to share that power. The invitation was rebuked. It came down to battle between the forces and Otho and Vitellius. By all accounts, the conflict was fierce, with ten of thousands of casualties. In the end, Otho realized that his opponent had the upper hand, and to avoid even more Romans dying in vain for his cause, he committed suicide.
Coin Details: ROMAN PROVINCIAL, EGYPT, Alexandria, Otho, AD 69, BI Tetradrachm (24.5mm, 12.90 g, 12h), Dated RY 1 (AD 69), NGC Grade: Ch VF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Laureate head right, ΑΥΤΟΚ ΜΑΡΚ ΟΘΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ, LΑ, Reverse:Kratesis standing facing, head left, holding Nike and trophy, L A (date) below chin, KPATHΣIΣ, References: Köln 249; Dattari (Savio) 328; K&G 18.7; RPC I 5361; Emmett 185.1.