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In 68 AD, Rome’s future hung in the balance. For nearly a century, the Julio-Claudians had ruled over the Principate, enduring threats from without and within. This perseverance, however, was now sorely tested by Emperor Nero’s prodigality. Particularly after the devastating Great Fire of Rome in July 64 AD, Nero spent lavishly on building and entertainment projects. While classical scholars disparage Nero for his apparent profligacy, modern historians tend to view Nero as a concerned Emperor trying to stave off an economic depression. At the time, Nero’s actions resulted in a similar polarization among Rome’s citizens.
Prominent among those dissatisfied Romans was Caius Iulius Vindex (24? – 68 AD), governor of Gallia Lugdunensis. Vindex hailed from Aquitani aristocracy that had been granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar himself. As such, Vindex held Rome’s Emperor to the very highest standards, and he viewed Nero as mentally unstable, greedy, and licentious. Purportedly, Vindex was also consternated that Nero’s taxes strained the local economy without providing any local benefits. Nero was increasingly inimical towards provisional governors, and Vindex thought it was time for regime change.
To spread the word, Vindex employed the most effective propaganda tool of his time, namely coinage. This copper coin, which was probably struck around 65 AD at the Lugdunum mint, provides an enigmatic example. The observe presents Nero’s head facing left, bare of any imperial trappings, as if Nero wanted to emphasize his link to commoners. (Subsequent coinage increasingly portrayed Nero in imperial regalia, likely a conscious effort to bolster his increasingly precarious position). Unlike the standard imperial issue, this coin bears the letters SPQR prominently stamped across Nero’s neck, as if to strangle or decapitate the Emperor. Interestingly, the same letters are found on the reverse, emblazoned upon Victory’s shield, presumably part of the original coin’s design. These letters stand for Senatus Populusque Romanus, referring to the Roman Senate and People, a phrase that harkened back to the government of the old Roman Republic. While it is difficult to know for certain, this remarkable countermark has been attributed to Vindex. By all accounts, Vindex’s aim was not a return to the Republic, but rather Nero’s removal in favor of someone worthy of continuing the traditions of Augustus’ Principate.
In late 67 to early 68 AD Vindex appealed in writing to other provincial leaders, including Servius Sulpicius Galba, the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis. Impatient for a response, Vindex decided that he could wait no longer, and in March 68 AD, he led several Gallic tribes in a military uprising, starting with a siege of Lugdunum. Galba was finally swayed to the rebellion, and now it was his turn to leverage numismatic propaganda, such as issuing denarii depicting personifications of Spain and Gaul shaking hands, reflecting the alliance with Vindex.
By May 68 AD, the rebellion had escalated to civil war, and Rome was on edge. Whether under Nero’s orders or on his own initiative, Lucius Verginius Rufus, the army legate for Upper Germania, arrived on the scene accompanied by his fierce legions. Once again impatient, Vindex did not wait for Galba’s troops to confront Rufus. Rather than battle, Vindex convinced Rufus to parley, and the two commanders sat down to negotiate the Empire’s future. Given more time, Vindex and Rufus may have very well reached an agreement. However, it was now time for the German legions to be impatient. Instead of waiting, they proceeded to decimate Vindex’s forces.
Either during the ensuing bloodbath or subsequently by suicide, Vindex perished. Nonetheless his cause lived on, and by June 68 AD Nero committed suicide and Galba was proclaimed Emperor. After nearly a century of Julio-Claudian rule, there was a new imperial clan. But the tumult did not stop there, and the following year saw no fewer than three new dynasts (Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian) ascend Rome’s throne. While Rome remained an Empire, her imperial clan was no longer subject to exclusivity.
Additional Reading: “Nero's New Deal,” M. E. Kelly Thornton, Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 102 (1971), pp. 621-629; “Rebellion of Caius Iulius Vindex against Emperor Nero,” K. Królczyk, Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University, Vol 63 (2018), pp. 858-871.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, GALLIA LUGDUNENSIS, Æ As (28mm, 10.22 g, 6h), struck 65 AD?, NGC Grade: Ch VF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 2/5, Obverse: Bare head left, globe at point of bust, NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P, Vindex countermark of SPQR in rectangular countermark across Nero's neck struck 68/69 AD?, Reverse: Victory flying left, holding shield inscribed S P Q R, S – C, References: RIC I 476; C 291/292var; WCN 569; Pangerl 26-27; From the Richard Baker Collection.