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Nero. AD 54-68. Æ Sestertius (35mm, 25.56 g, 6h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck circa AD 65. NERO CLΛVD CΛESΛR ΛVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head left, globe at point of neck / S C above, PORT AVG in exergue, Port of Ostia: eight ships within the harbor; at the top is a pharus surmounted by a statue of Neptune; below is a reclining figure of Tiber, holding a rudder in right hand and dolphin in left; to left, crescent-shaped pier with portico, terminating with building; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters or slips. RIC I 441; WCN 427; Lyon 118; BMCRE –; BN –. Dark green patina. EF. Very rare with laureate head left.
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Hess-Divo 314 (4 May 2009), lot 1531; Hess-Divo 311 (22 October 2008), lot 517; Künker 133 (11 October 2007), lot 8651; Tkalec (7 May 2006), lot 135.
This coin inspired me to make the port of Ostia a focus of our trip to Italy six years after acquiring it. The eight different ships depicted on the reverse really distinguishes this particular Port of Ostia coin for me. (PLZ)
Roman engineering achievements are not uncommon on Roman coinage going back to republican times. Although temples and arches are the most prevalent, aqueducts, bridges, military camps, columns and other structural projects all appear. Whatever his faults as a person, Nero was an innovative ruler and his bronze coinage, for the first time, depicts a bird’s eye view of an entire port, complete with docking facilities and visiting ships. The facility so depicted is certainly worthy of a closer look.
Virtually all ancient cities relied heavily on water for drinking, sanitation and navigation. Ancient Rome in AD 64 was the world’s most populous city, but was not situated directly on the sea. This posed a challenge to the task of feeding the city’s immense population. The Tiber River was navigable and exited to the sea near the town of Ostia, about 16 miles away. Ostia, however, was far from ideal as a port, possessing a narrow and shallow inlet that could allow only a few ships at a time to enter, and frequently became clogged by riverine silt. For most of Rome’s Republican and early Imperial history, the far better port of Puteoli, more than 170 miles away, actually imported far more grain and other merchandise to Rome than did the Tiber inlet at Ostia.
Julius Caesar first proposed building a large artificial harbor at the mouth of the Tiber to turn Ostia into a proper port, but the project lay dormant for more than eight decades until the Emperor Claudius took up the challenge and initiated construction of a massive breakwater and a circular ring of docks, called simply Portus (“Harbor”). By any standards, Portus was an engineering marvel. A huge ship that had been used by Caligula to transport an Egyptian obelisk to Rome was filled with concrete and sunk to provide a firm foundation for the mole, which also bore a huge statue of Neptune and a lighthouse, modeled on the Pharos of Alexandria, that guided ships toward a safe docking.
While initiated and sustained by Claudius, it appears the project’s final completion occurred in the reign of his successor, Nero. In any case, he claimed credit for the engineering feat by striking the impressive Port of Ostia sestertii, of which this lovely example must rank as one of the finest surviving specimens.
As a postscript, despite further improvements by Trajan and Hadrian, Portus eventually silted up to the point where it became unusable and it was largely abandoned by the fourth century AD. However, this resulted in a great deal of ancient Ostia, now called Ostia Antica, surviving to the present day. Modern visitors can now tour ancient buildings and warehouses that are as complete as those of Pompeii.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.
CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session One – Lot 1-318 will be held Monday morning, 18 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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