Galba Coins
Servius Galba Imperator Caesar Augustus
Servius Sulpicius Galba was governor of Hispania Tarraconensis when he rose in revolt against Nero in 68 AD, becoming the first of the four emperors of that tumultuous year. Aged and austere, his refusal to pay the Praetorian Guard the promised donative sealed his fate. He was murdered in the Roman Forum after a reign of just seven months, his death setting the precedent that emperors could be made outside Rome.
Galba demonstrated that emperors could be made outside Rome by provincial armies, a revelation Tacitus encapsulated as the 'secret of empire'. His failure showed that without military loyalty, especially the Praetorian Guard, no emperor could survive. His coins mark a decisive rupture in the Julio-Claudian visual programme.
Key Events
Coinage
Galba's coinage is of exceptional historical interest as the first imperial issue outside the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Struck at Rome, Lyon, and Spanish mints, it includes striking types celebrating libertas and the restoration of Rome. His portrait, depicting a thin-faced, elderly man, is among the most realistic in Roman portraiture.
Denominations
Notable Types
- LIBERTAS PVBLICA types celebrating liberation from Nero
- HISPANIA types with the personification of Spain
- Roma Restituta types
- SPQR OB CS (for saving citizens) types
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume I (revised),
- The Histories,