Didia Clara
193 AD
Daughter of Didius Julianus
Didia Clara was the daughter of Didius Julianus and Manlia Scantilia. Little is known of her personal life. Her portrait is best known for her coinage. All we know is that upon her father’s execution, the body was handed over to Didia and her mother for burial at the Via Labica near the fifth milestone in the tomb of his great-grandfather.
Monetary System
Perhaps because Didius Julianus bid 25,000 sesterii per man for the office of emperor, coinage of himself and his family have survived in gold, silver, and bronze despite his short reign of only 66 days. The fact that Commodus drained the treasury during his reign must have necessitated the mintage of new currency to pay the Praetorian Guard. No doubt, the portraits of his wife and daughter were also used to promote support for the new royal family as a whole.
Mints: Rome
Obverse Legend:
DIDIA CLARA AVG
DENOMINATIONS
AU Aureus (6.74 grms)
AR Denarius (2.68 grms)
AE Sesterius (17.1 grms)
AE Dupondius or As (12.87 grams)
Berker Forgery
Becker Forgery restrikes in off metal, but the die was intended to strike gold aureus
The Monetary History of the World
© Martin A. Armstrong