Who run the world?

“Ah! Great choice, Alex.” Sophia replied. “It may not seem like it, but this was in fact a ground-breaking coin. It tells us not only something about a complex and deeply engaging relationship between mother and son, but also about the relationship between women and power in Rome. For us historians, this is a very topical and debated subject. Ancient authors, all male by the way, have treated women that got close to power, women like Agrippina, very negatively. So a coin like this one can give us another insight into this debate. This aureus here was produced in Rome in 54 CE, an important year for Nero as he became emperor after his adoptive father Claudius had suspiciously died. To commemorate Nero’s ascension to the throne, a new series of gold coins were produced, like the one you see here.”