Ancient Tiberius Æ Sestertius. AD 22-23.

CIVITATIBVS ASIAE RESTITVTIS, Tiberius seated left on curule chair with patera and sceptre / TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS P M TR POT XXIIII around large SC. Weighs – 25.43 g.

Ref Tiberius AE Sestertius, RIC 48, Cohen 3, BMC 70

Sear Roman Coins and their Values (RCV 2000 Edition) Number 1764

Reverse translation: “Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti Filius Augusti Pontifex Maximus Tribunicia Potestate vicesimum quartum”, (Tiberius Caesar son of the divine Augustus great pontiff invested with the twenty-fourth tribunitian power).

This sestertius is indeed made of orichalcum, from the Greek oreikhalkos, which means brass. This metal or metallic alloy is mentioned by several ancient authors including Pliny. The word first designated a precious metal, then alloys such as bronze or brass. The price of a pound of orichalcum was 3 deniers under Augustus compared to only 2 for copper. History: Tiberius, the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia, was born on November 16, 42 BC. His father, Caesar's lieutenant during the Alexandrian War (48-47 BC) , then rallied to Antoine. Octavian kidnapped Livia, the mother of Tiberius, and married her in 38 BC while she was pregnant by Nero Drusus. To further complicate the family tree of the Julio-Claudians, Tiberius had to divorce Vipsania to marry Julie, the daughter of Augustus, widow of Agrippa (12 BC). After choosing him as heir, Augustus preferred his grandsons and Tiberius then went into exile in Rhodes. After an attempted plot by Julie, Tiberius divorces her and never sees her again. In 4, Augustus adopted Tiberius who succeeded him in 14. His reign lasted 23 years. Germanicus, whom he did not love, died in 19. He lost his son Drusus in 23, murdered by his wife, Livilla, with the help of the prefect of the Praetorium, Sejanus, his lover, who retained his power until 31. Denounced for his crimes by his sister-in-law, Antonia, Sejanus is executed. Tiberius retired to Capri since the year 27, died, perhaps assassinated, in 37 and his great-nephew Caligula, great-grandson of Augustus, succeeded him.