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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;johnmilton, post: 25921814, member: 101855&quot;]I have two Claudius pieces. </p><p><br /></p><p>Someone else has already shown the first one, a Cistophorus.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1650341[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Cistophorus (3 denarii) Claudius and Agrippina, Obverse: TI(berius) CLAVD CAES AVG AGRIPP AVGVSTA “Tiberius Claudius caesar augustus, Agrippina augusta (empress)” Reverse DIANA EPHESIA, cult statue of Ephesian Diana. She was the goddess of fertility. Some think that she has bull testicles instead of breasts. In ancient times, the bull was a symbol of fertility. (A hoped for addition to the royal family?) Ephesus Mint, Ancient Greece, now modern Turkey.</p><p><br /></p><p>Agrippina was Claudius’ fourth wife and his niece. Soon after she was elevated to Augusta, the title for an empress. She was the first emperor’s wife to receive the title while still living. She maneuvered to make her son, Nero, the heir apparent. It is believed that Agrippina poisoned Claudius with mushrooms to bring her son to the throne.</p><p><br /></p><p>The second is an AS of Cludius. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1650342[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>AS of Claudius, Obverse TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TRP IMP P P “Tiberius Claudius caesar augustus Pontiff Maximus (high priest) Tribune of the Roman people, Emperor, Father of his country.” Reverse: LIBERTAS AVG VSIA S C “Liberality of the emperor, Senatus Consultus (SC) issued by authority of the Senate.&nbsp; Liberty standing, holding a pileus in her right hand and extending her left hand.&nbsp; Sear 1860, RIC 113</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the text from my Roman Emperors notebook:</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius was the youngest son of Nero Drusus, brother of Tiberius, and Antonia, who was the daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He was handicapped with an uncouthness which seemed to indicate that he was mentally challenged. That proved not to be the case. He was largely ignored in his youth with respect to government appointments, aside from a consulship from his nephew, Gaius.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius suffered from a partial paralysis which probably affected his speech and movements. This might explain the “uncouth” characterization.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Perhaps to compensate for the snubbing Claudius received, he became an accomplished scholar and writer. He wrote 20 books on Etruscan history, eight books on Carthaginian history and eight autobiographical memoirs. Unfortunately all of these works have been lost.</p><p><br /></p><p>· After&nbsp; Caligula’s murder, the praetorian guard declared Claudius as his successor. After some bantering around about the issue with the guard and the senate, his position was confirmed.</p><p><br /></p><p>· There were several attempts to remove Claudius from power during his reign. None of them were successful. Those attempts made Claudius very watchful for plots against him which strained his relationship with the senate at times.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Perhaps to divert attention from the coup attempts, Claudius renewed the effort to make Britain a Roman colony. Such efforts had failed during Caligula’s reign. This time it succeeded, and Britain became a valuable Roman colony.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius named his son Britannicus in honor of his successful campaign to make Britain a Roman colony.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius extended the practice of granting Roman citizenship to auxiliary troops, recruited from the colonies. After 25 years of service, Claudius extended those rights to them and their families.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He developed the career structure for military officers providing favorable opportunities to those who made a career in the army.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He expanded the Roman navy in the Italian cities of Puteoli, Portus Augusti and Ostia. He also established flotillas in the harbors of Britain and Pontus.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius expanded membership in the senate to include non-Italians. Roman Senator complained about this frequently, but Claudius was striving to make the Roman Government more inclusive for its colonies. The numbers of colonial senators were never large.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius attempted to end the long running disputes between the Greeks and the Jews of Alexandria</p><p><br /></p><p>· He worked to reform the judicial system with good success. He took the oversight from the senate and placed it under his purview.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Claudius had four wives. His married life was not happy. His first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla was Etruscan which may have explained his early interest in their history. Claudius divorced her and married Aelia Paetina after a short time.</p><p><br /></p><p>· He married his third wife, Valeria Messallina, in 39 AD. She was 14, and he was 49. Valeria was notorious for cheating on him. Valeria and one of her lovers, Gaius Silius, plotted to overthrow Claudius, and replace him with his seven year old son, Britannicus. They planned to be the boy’s regents and therefore gain de facto rule of the empire. Claudius learned of the plot and had her executed in 48 AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>· His fourth wife, Agrippina the younger, was his niece.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Soon after receiving the title, Augusta, Agrippina the Younger pushed Claudius’ son, Britannicus, out of the way so that Nero could be the next in line as emperor.</p><p><br /></p><p>· There are strong indications that Agrippina poisoned Claudius with mushrooms to make her son, Nero, emperor. At first Agrippina exercised considerable control over her son in ruling the empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>· Later, after Nero had established himself as emperor, he pushed his ambitious mother aside and had her executed. I guess you could say, “What goes around, comes around.”[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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