ROMAN BRONZE SESTERTIUS 161CE
$550.00
LARGE ROMAN BRONZE SESTERTIUS (28MM.)
MARCUS AURELIUS, 161-180 CE.
Obverse: Bust of Marcus Aurelius;
Reverse: Minerva standing, holding an olive branch and leaning on a shield with spear on left arm.
VERY FINE
Marcus Aurelius’s troubles began with a war in Persia followed by a terrible plague that swept the Empire and killed millions. Next came a series of invasions by Germanic barbarians to the North, one of which penetrated deep into Italy itself. Narcus met all, at one point auctioning off his own possessions to finance the war effort. Yet, he still found timne to write his Meditations, one of the most widely read books of all time. This coin was minted in 164 CE., the year that the Parthians were driven from Armenia.