Jan 30
Discovery of a Statue of Nero Being Crowned by his Mother Agrippina, the Sebasteion at Aphrodisias, Turkey, 1979
Agrippina crowns her son Nero with a laurel wreath. Agrippina carries a cornucopia, symbol of Fortune and Plenty, and Nero wears the armour and cloak of a Roman commander. He held a spear, now broken off, in his right hand and probably an orb (symbol of world rule) in his left hand. His helmet (removed for the crowning) lies on the ground at the side. Both figures are clearly identifiable by their portraits. The scene refers to the emperor’s accession in AD 54 and belongs before AD 59, the year in which Nero had Agrippina murdered.
