Artemide Aste s.r.l.
Auction 51E 27-28 Jun 2020
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Hadrian (117-138). AE Sestertius, 134-138 AD. D/ HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P. Laureate head right. R/ [S P Q R] EX SC (in exergue) SC. Decastyle temple on podium of foursteps; statues at the base of the external columns; in the pediment, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (?); at each angle a Victory. RIC 784 var (SC repeated across fields). Lepri 2188. BMC 1490. AE. g. 26.17 mm. 31.00 RRR. Very rare. About VF.
This is identified by Hill (The Monuments of Ancient Rome as Coin Types,) as one of the facades of the great double temple of Venus and Roma (Templum Veneris et Romae) situated between the Colosseum and the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. Designed by the Emperor himself this imposing structure was, in reality, two temples back to back. It was dedicated circa 135 AD but was not completed until early in the reign of Antoninus Pius, about three years after Hadrian's death (Sear, Roman Coins, vol II, p. 163).
This is identified by Hill (The Monuments of Ancient Rome as Coin Types,) as one of the facades of the great double temple of Venus and Roma (Templum Veneris et Romae) situated between the Colosseum and the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. Designed by the Emperor himself this imposing structure was, in reality, two temples back to back. It was dedicated circa 135 AD but was not completed until early in the reign of Antoninus Pius, about three years after Hadrian's death (Sear, Roman Coins, vol II, p. 163).