ROMAN EMPIRE

This coin is an example of how certain emperors honoured deceased relatives years after their passing. In this case, Caligula paid tribute to his mother, Agrippina, daughter of Marcus Agrippa and Julia (the daughter of Augustus), and wife of Germanicus. After her husband's death, Agrippina sought to bring those she held responsible—namely, Tiberius and Livia—to justice. This ultimately led to her exile and death (33 AD), a fate shared by her elder sons, Nero and Drusus, both executed on Tiberius’ orders. Upon becoming emperor, Caligula had her remains brought back to Rome, interred them in the Mausoleum of Augustus, and commemorated her with this coinage.