Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXI 24-25 Mar 2021
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Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, circa AD 130. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust to right / Nilus reclining to right, holding reed and cornucopiae, crocodile in waters below, hippopotamus among reeds to right. RIC II.3 1439; BMCRE 866; Calicó 1162. 7.16g, 19mm, 12h.
Extremely Fine; well centered. Very Rare.
From a private European collection.
Part of the famous 'travel series' of issues struck under Hadrian, this reverse type of AD 130 commemorates his visit to Egypt in that year. Featuring a personification of the River Nile, it alludes both to the importance of the river to Roman prosperity, and perhaps the tragic role it played in Hadrian's life.
The province of Egypt was relied upon to supply grain to feed the people of Rome, and the annual floods on the river fertilized the farmland along its banks. Furthermore, the river was a vital transport link for the ships carrying the grain to Rome, just as the Tiber was between the port of Ostia and the city.
In AD 130 Hadrian travelled up the river with the imperial entourage, including his companion Antinous, during which trip the young man tragically drowned. The ancient sources are rife with speculation as to whether this occurrence was an accident, a suicide on the part of Antinoüs or a sacrifice to aid the health of the emperor, but what is clear is the strong bond between the two men (Scriptores Historiae Augustae Hadrian, 14, 5-7), which led to Hadrian's encouragement of a cult in honour of a deified Antinoüs and his appearance on the coinage, especially in Egypt.
Extremely Fine; well centered. Very Rare.
From a private European collection.
Part of the famous 'travel series' of issues struck under Hadrian, this reverse type of AD 130 commemorates his visit to Egypt in that year. Featuring a personification of the River Nile, it alludes both to the importance of the river to Roman prosperity, and perhaps the tragic role it played in Hadrian's life.
The province of Egypt was relied upon to supply grain to feed the people of Rome, and the annual floods on the river fertilized the farmland along its banks. Furthermore, the river was a vital transport link for the ships carrying the grain to Rome, just as the Tiber was between the port of Ostia and the city.
In AD 130 Hadrian travelled up the river with the imperial entourage, including his companion Antinous, during which trip the young man tragically drowned. The ancient sources are rife with speculation as to whether this occurrence was an accident, a suicide on the part of Antinoüs or a sacrifice to aid the health of the emperor, but what is clear is the strong bond between the two men (Scriptores Historiae Augustae Hadrian, 14, 5-7), which led to Hadrian's encouragement of a cult in honour of a deified Antinoüs and his appearance on the coinage, especially in Egypt.