Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Sale 77 26 Nov 2020
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Hadrian AR Denarius. Rome, circa AD 121-123. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate head to right / P M TR P COS III, galley under oar to left. RIC II.3 525; BMCRE 244; RSC 1174. 3.31g, 19mm, 7h.
Near Extremely Fine; golden iridescence around portrait.
From a private European collection.
No Roman Emperor travelled more extensively in his Empire, or was more actively involved in the governance of the external Provinces, than Hadrian, who spent more than half his time in power outside of Italy. During the period in which this well-centred and lustrous coin was minted (late AD 121-123), Hadrian was engaged in his first major trip around the Empire, observing conditions, leading armies and determining local policies, both small and large. Famously, during his visit to a Britannia devastated by recent warfare in AD 122, Hadrian gave the orders for a wall – his 'Wall' - to be built, to defend the Northern-most border of the Empire. Such momentous decisions made in far-flung localities were commemorated on coins such as those of his so-called 'Provinces Cycle', or this denarius, which undoubtedly alludes to the ship-borne travel Hadrian relied on to react quickly to new developments in person, such as the worsening situation in Britannia mentioned above or reports of Parthian war preparations in AD 123.
Near Extremely Fine; golden iridescence around portrait.
From a private European collection.
No Roman Emperor travelled more extensively in his Empire, or was more actively involved in the governance of the external Provinces, than Hadrian, who spent more than half his time in power outside of Italy. During the period in which this well-centred and lustrous coin was minted (late AD 121-123), Hadrian was engaged in his first major trip around the Empire, observing conditions, leading armies and determining local policies, both small and large. Famously, during his visit to a Britannia devastated by recent warfare in AD 122, Hadrian gave the orders for a wall – his 'Wall' - to be built, to defend the Northern-most border of the Empire. Such momentous decisions made in far-flung localities were commemorated on coins such as those of his so-called 'Provinces Cycle', or this denarius, which undoubtedly alludes to the ship-borne travel Hadrian relied on to react quickly to new developments in person, such as the worsening situation in Britannia mentioned above or reports of Parthian war preparations in AD 123.