There are two sides to every coin

“Could you flip the coin over for us?” Alex asked Sophia. “Of course!” Sophia said, and she goes on to take the coin out of the display case and show the other side to the students. “This side of the coin we call the reverse,” Sophia continued, “What is it that stands out to you?” “There are four letters in the centre, I don’t know what they mean, but I do recognize the thing that surrounds the letters! Nero wore that in Nero’s Mistress.” Alex said. “That is the so-called corona civica, the ‘civic crown’, made from oak wreaths. Do not confuse it with the more popular laurel wreath, the so-called corona triumphalis! During the Republic, it was given to Roman soldiers who saved the lives of others. From Augustus onwards however, only Roman emperors were given the crown, symbolizing that they were the saviours of the Roman people.”

“What do the four letters mean? it says EX S C, right?” Alex asked. “Indeed,” said Sophia. “they are an abbreviation of the phrase ‘Ex Senatus Consulto,’ which means ‘By decree of the senate.’” “What does that refer to?” Were they the ones who made this coin?” “That may be possible,” said Sophia, “but again, there is not really any evidence to support that. Another possibility is that the legend refers to the corona, the message being that the crown was given by decree of the senate.”