A group of 364 Roman Imperial coins, issued by Nero (37–68 A.D.) and exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, was non-invasively investigated by micro X-ray fluorescence analysis. The research aimed at correlating the events of Nero’s monetary policy, mainly the reform of 64 A.D., with possible variations in the weight and composition of coinage. We observed that the reform produced: a) weight reduction and/or debasement for both precious metal and orichalcum coinage and b) higher disorder in the coinage production of 64 A.D. and the immediately subsequent years. Thanks to the capability of performing measurements on the small patina-free areas already present on the coin, with no need for abrasion, micro X-ray fluorescence proves an effective option for the non-invasive analysis of ancient coinage.

一组由尼禄（Nero）（公元37-68年）发行并在佛罗伦萨国家考古博物馆展出的364枚罗马帝国硬币，通过微X射线荧光分析进行了非侵入式研究。该研究旨在将Nero的货币政策事件（主要是公元64年的改革）与造币的重量和构成的可能变化相关联。我们观察到，这种改革产生了：a）贵重金属和鸟嘴兽造币的重量减轻和/或贬低，以及b）公元64年及其后几年造币的生产出现较高的混乱。由于能够在硬币上已经存在的无铜绿的小区域进行测量，而无需进行磨损，因此微型X射线荧光被证明是对古代造币进行非侵入式分析的有效选择。