Imperial Roman Coin
 
Emperor: Commodus (177-192 A.D.)
 
Ov: M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG, laureate bust right.
 
Rv: TR P VI IMP IIII COS III P P Roma seated left, holding Victory and spear.
 
Discovered: Europe
 
Commodus was the first emperor in 80 years to inherit the position through biological succession. He had accompanied his father, Marcus Aurelius, during the Marcomannic Wars in 172. Commodus was only 18 when his father died and he became emperor. Commodus was uninterested in the administration of the empire preferring to hold large entertainment events and pose as a
gladiator. To fund this, he heavily taxed the Senate, which already disliked him for dereliction of his duty. His reign was plagued by various political conspriracies. Eventually Commodus became a megalomaniac, declaring himself the reincarnation of Hercules and renaming the city of Rome and the calendar months after himself. He was assassinated in 192 with a plot organized by his mistress. This coin was discovered in Europe. It was part of an old collection, and the collector's original notes in Romanian are included.