ROMAN EMPIRE

Rome’s greatest contribution to the History of Art lies in the development of portraiture, which is clearly evident in Numismatics, as exemplified by remarkable pieces like this sestertius. The obverse image depicts an elderly man; when Galba ascended to power, he was approximately 70 years old. According to the historian Suetonius, Galba had a balding forehead and an aquiline nose. Fortunately, the portraits on the coins were not full-length, because he also describes that his feet and hands were disfigured by gout and he had a large excrescence on his left side. Despite his age, Galba claimed to feel strong enough to assume power, and he chose as one of his favourite reverse types the oak leaves crown, or civic crown, with the legend S P Q R OB CIV(es) SER(vatos), which defined him as the saviour of Rome.