Nomos 22

Tiberius, AD 14-37. Tessera (Bronze, 22.5 mm, 4.57 g, 2 h), circa 22-37. An erotic scene taking place in a curtained room with a table. Rev. V within dotted circular border within wreath. Buttrey Table A, 11/V, pl. 3, 11 = Simonetta - Riva pl. 4, 9/B (this example). Very rare and with an attractive green patina with tan highlights. Small corrosion spots on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.

Ex Gorny & Mosch 175, 9 March 2009, 318, Aufhäuser 17, 2003, 713, and Schulmann, 17 June 1924, (Vierordt II), 11.

It is not known for what use or purpose these erotic tokens (also known as "spintriae") were made, although a few ideas have been suggested. One such suggestion is that they refer to the sexual escapades of the aged emperor Tiberius himself during his final years while living in seclusion at Capri. Another is that they were made during the Flavian period to be used as brothel tokens. Neither of these explanations, though, are satisfactory. The first can be discarded as no one in their right mind would depict the emperor in such scenes, even if the salacious gossip surrounding Tiberius' final years were true, and the Roman numerals on the reverse, some of which share dies with non-erotic tokens securely dated to the reign of Tiberius, excludes the possibility that they were made for use as brothel tokens a half-century later.