Triumphant Hero of Early Imperial Rome:
Germanicus!
Commemorated by Son Caligula's Bronze Dupondius
and The Empire's Heroic Bronze Statue
Found in 1963 in Amelia (of Terni Province, Italy), this 1st C. CE, 2. 9 meter high, monumental bronze statue of Germanicus now stands in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Dell'Umbria, Perugia. The photos on this page show this magnificent statue from different perspectives. (The top-most picture is my digital creation -- fusing coin and statue with Roman purple tint.) The oval photo close-up of Germanicus' breast plate features the battle of Achilles and Troilus. The other oval photo gives a view of the beautiful Tuscan town of Perugia from the top of the Papal Fortress.
Rome, Bronze Dupondius, Struck under Caligula, 37-41 CE. Reverse: Germanicus standing left, holding eagle-tipped sceptre.
Obverse: Germanicus in triumphal quadriga right. [RIC I 57]
Q: Why was Germanicus a popular hero and how was he connected to the Imperial families?
A: Germanicus was victorius over the Cherusci, Chatti and Angrivarii tribes west of the Elbe. This coin depicts the splendid triumph he was given on May 26, 17 CE. [Barrett, Caligula, 1989, p.11] Germanicus was the grandson of Mark Antony and Octavia, grandnephew of Augustus, son of Antonia (daughter of Antony) and Drusus the Elder, brother of Claudius, adoptive brother of Drusus the Younger (son of Tiberius), adopted son of Tiberius, husband of Agrippina (Augustus' granddaughter by Julia and Agrippa), father of Caligula, grandfather of Nero, and great great grandnephew of Julius caesar.
Q: One set of ancient coins of the "Twelve Caesars" of the early empire are presented below. Can you name the emperors and attribute each coin?
Hint: The reverses of the coins are also presented to facilitate attribution.
