Roman Empire Emperors
Nero and Drusus III Caesar’s
d. 31 and 33
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Coin Details
| Origin/Country: |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Nero Caesar+Drusus Caesar |
| Item Description: |
AE Dupondius The Werner Collection died AD 30/1+AD 33 |
| Full Grade: |
NGC Ch F Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5 Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5 |
| Owner: |
Von Werner |
Owner Comments:
Drusus Caesar (Drusus III) (AD 8 – AD 33) and Nero Julius Caesar (AD 6 - AD 31) were the adopted grandsons and heirs of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Born into the prominent Julio Claudian dynasty, Drusus and Nero were the sons of Tiberius' general and heir, Germanicus. After the deaths of their father and of Tiberius' son, Drusus the Younger, Drusus and his brother Nero Julius Caesar were adopted together by Tiberius in September AD 23. As a result of being heirs of the emperor, he and his brother enjoyed accelerated political careers.
Sejanus, the prefect of the Praetorian Guard, had become powerful in Rome and is believed by ancient writers such as Suetonius and Tacitus to have been responsible for the downfall of Drusus the younger. As Sejanus' power grew, other members of the imperial family began to fall as well. In AD 29, Tiberius wrote a letter to the Senate attacking Nero and his mother, and the Senate had them both exiled. Two years later, Nero died in exile on the island of Ponza. Drusus was later imprisoned following similar charges as his brother, and remained in prison from AD 30 until his death three years later. Their deaths allowed for the adoption and ascension of their third brother, Gaius Caligula, following the death of Tiberius in AD 37.