2017-11-24 Fri

Behold...Emperor of the Imperial Rome Marcus Otho Caesar Augustus is arriving...

Emperor Otho was the supporter of his predecessor Emperor Galba, but the attachment of the power for these Nobel men was so immense that historians got a lot of material to document about the various Roman emperors and Emperor Otho was not very different. In his aspiration to become a Roman emperor, he supported Galba. There came a time when his dreams were endangered and the after effect of this revelation resulted in a revolt and assassination of Emperor Galba and his adopted heir. After this action, he proclaimed himself as Emperor of Rome.

Otho also issued coins of different denominations, the above-shown gold Aureus was circulated in 69 AD. The coin consists of the portrait of Otho on the obverse and goddess of agriculture and grain is depicted on the reverse side holding two corn-ears and cornucopia.

The unrest that existed in the seven months of Galba’s reign was a doom for the newly named Emperor Otho. One of the most glaring inherited problems was the rebellion of Vitellius, the commander of the army in Germania Inferior.

The armies of Otho and Vitellius met at the battle of Bedriacum and the fighting resulted in 40,000 casualties which bought Rome at the stage of a civil war. To save Rome from the fires of internal conflict Emperor Otho committed suicide rather than fight on and gave Vitellius the Roman throne indirectly.

This event made Emperor Otho, the second in the ‘Year of the four Emperors’ of Rome.

Learn more about Otho’s predecessor Emperor Galba.

To know more about Roman coinage Click here.

Interesting facts:

At birth, Emperor Otho was called as Marcus Salvius Otho.
It is said even his closed soldiers committed suicide with him, to show compassion and be with their emperor in his salvation.