Nero Alexandrian AR Tetradrachm L IA (AD 64/65) Sarapis RPC I 5274

Nero, Tetradrachm, silver, reign AD 54–68, Alexandria, regnal year 11 (AD 64/65), 12.90 g, 25 mm. Obv: ΝΕΡΩ ΚΛΑΥ ΚΑΙΣ ΣΕΒ ΓΕΡ; radiate bust of Nero right. Rev: ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ to left; L IA to right; bust of Sarapis right, wearing modius. Struck at Alexandria on the standard thick flan, centrally struck with the regnal year clear in the field. Ref: RPC I 5274.

This Alexandrian tetradrachm represents the closed provincial monetary system of Roman Egypt, which used Greek legends and regnal-year dating rather than the imperial denarius standard. The reverse with Sarapis reflects the prominence of the city’s syncretic state cult and the alignment of Roman rule with local religious traditions. Regnal year IA dates the coin to AD 64/65, providing a precisely dated issue from a major imperial grain-supply hub during Nero’s rule.