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| sestertius of Galba, 68 CE, Pergamon Museum |
This bronze coin, issued by the emperor Galba, whose reign lasted less than 4 months, depicts the goddess Concordia, seated, holding an olive branch (symbol of peace) and a scepter. The original function of this goddess was to restore peace and harmony to the patricians and plebeians after their great class struggle in Rome (called “the conflict of orders”). By the beginning of the Principate, Concordia, with the addition of the adjective Augusta, came to symbolize harmony within the imperial family, especially marital harmony. The seated figure on this coin resembles coins issued by Tiberius in which a seated female holding olive branch and scepter is associated with his mother Livia; visit the Exhibition in the West Portico to see some of these coins.
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| bronze statuette of Concordia, first
century CE Chicago Fine Arts Museum |