Naville Numismatics Ltd.
Auction 60 27 Sep 2020
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Hadrian, 117-138 Sestertius circa 134-138, Æ 32.4mm., 29.15g. HADRIANVS – AVG COS III P P Bareheaded and draped bust r. Rev. ADVENTVI AVG IVDAEAE Hadrian, togate, on l., standing r., holding roll and raising r. hand to the personification of Judaea standing l., on r., holding box and patera over altar; at either side of Judaea, two children standing l., holding branch. Behind altar, bull. In exergue, S C. RIC 893c. BMC 1657. Hendin 1604c.
Very rare, nice brown tone, About Very Fine/Good Fine.
Hadrian ruled at a fortunate time in Rome's history. The era was so generally peaceful and prosperous that for several years at a time he could travel to the far ends of the Roman world to see firsthand the territories over which he ruled. While traveling, Hadrian was partly a tourist and vacationer, and partly a dutiful emperor who wanted to observe the workings of his government in the provinces. Just as his predecessor Trajan had issued coins to commemorate victories in war, Hadrian issued coins to mark his tours. Two of the rarest and most interesting of these "travel series" coins commemorate Judaea, a province he visited in the summer of 130. The one offered here, inscribed ADVENTVI AVG IVDAEA SC, shows Hadrian facing Judaea, who stands ready to sacrifice at an altar flanked by a bull; standing with Judaea are two children holding palm branches. The other type, inscribed IVDAEA SC, is fundamentally the same scene, except that two children with palms are shown approaching Hadrian while a third child stands behind Judaea, clinging to her robe. The dating of Hadrian's Judaea sestertii is of interest since it would determine if they were struck before, during or after the Bar Kokhba War, and thus would allow us to understand the nature of the commemoratives: were they benign pre-war issues, curious (and seemingly misplaced) issues during the war, or were they struck after the Jews had been defeated? Though some prefer to date these sestertii to circa 130, about the time of the visit, most scholars place them at the end of Hadrian's life. Mattingly and Sydenham attribute the entire travel series to 134-138, Carson dates them between 135 and 138, and Hill, in his detailed study, dates the Judaea sestertii precisely to 136.
Very rare, nice brown tone, About Very Fine/Good Fine.
Hadrian ruled at a fortunate time in Rome's history. The era was so generally peaceful and prosperous that for several years at a time he could travel to the far ends of the Roman world to see firsthand the territories over which he ruled. While traveling, Hadrian was partly a tourist and vacationer, and partly a dutiful emperor who wanted to observe the workings of his government in the provinces. Just as his predecessor Trajan had issued coins to commemorate victories in war, Hadrian issued coins to mark his tours. Two of the rarest and most interesting of these "travel series" coins commemorate Judaea, a province he visited in the summer of 130. The one offered here, inscribed ADVENTVI AVG IVDAEA SC, shows Hadrian facing Judaea, who stands ready to sacrifice at an altar flanked by a bull; standing with Judaea are two children holding palm branches. The other type, inscribed IVDAEA SC, is fundamentally the same scene, except that two children with palms are shown approaching Hadrian while a third child stands behind Judaea, clinging to her robe. The dating of Hadrian's Judaea sestertii is of interest since it would determine if they were struck before, during or after the Bar Kokhba War, and thus would allow us to understand the nature of the commemoratives: were they benign pre-war issues, curious (and seemingly misplaced) issues during the war, or were they struck after the Jews had been defeated? Though some prefer to date these sestertii to circa 130, about the time of the visit, most scholars place them at the end of Hadrian's life. Mattingly and Sydenham attribute the entire travel series to 134-138, Carson dates them between 135 and 138, and Hill, in his detailed study, dates the Judaea sestertii precisely to 136.