

Octavia 27mm aVF bronze of Cnossus, Crete
NERO CLAV CAES AVG IMP LVPINO VOLVMNIO II - Nero, bare head right, scepter over l. shoulder
NERO CLAV CAES AVG IMP ET OCTAVIA AVGVSTI - Bare head of Nero l., surmounted by star, facing draped bust of Octavia r., surmounted by crescent
Sear GIC-655
To me, Octavia is one of the supreme tragedies of history. OK, she had
breeding (which as we've seen in the case of Nero, means bupkis) but she was
also a decent, upright and dignified lady who knew the the importance of the responsibility
her birth had thrust upon her. Being Claudius' daughter she was encouraged
to marry Nero to secure his stepson's ascension. He found others (which
I'm sure she didn't find surprising), but then he sought to replace her with
others, which she wouldn't tolerate. She wound up divorced and banished to
an island off Italy where within two days she was bound and her wrists
slit. She was twentyone.