Hadrian Bronze As, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

During the early reign of Hadrian, the Roman monetary system retained the tri-metallic structure established under Augustus and adjusted during the Flavian era. Within the base-metal tier, the bronze or copper as was the fundamental unit of daily account and retail exchange. Valued at one-sixteenth of a silver denarius and one-fourth of a brass sestertius, the as was essential for quotidian transactions across the city of Rome and the Italian peninsula, facilitating local market commerce, military stipends, and modest consumer purchases. The production of the as alongside the sestertius and dupondius provided an indispensable fractional currency that supported price stability and retail trade. RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447 represents a typical bronze fractional issue produced during Hadrian's third consulship, which commenced in AD 119 and remained his static consular designation throughout the remainder of his reign. Issued between AD 120 and AD 121, this type appeared at a crucial transitional moment when Hadrian was establishing his administrative style, curbing military expansion, and reinforcing domestic stability. Base-metal issues of this phase carried carefully curated ideological messages directed toward the civilian populace and the senatorial elite, balancing imperial authority with expressions of civic duty and religious observance.

Mint Organization and Physical Production

The issue RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447 was manufactured exclusively at the principal imperial mint located in Rome. The centralized metropolitan facility operated under the direction of senatorial magistrates and imperial procurators, employing skilled die-engravers, flan-casters, and striking teams. Flans for the as were cast in open or two-piece moulds using a relatively pure copper alloy, distinguishing the red metal of the as from the yellowish orichalcum used for the sestertius and dupondius. Although individual coin blanks varied in weight and thickness due to ancient manual casting methods, the target weight standard for an early Hadrianic as clustered between 10.0 and 11.5 grams, with flan diameters typically falling between 26 and 28 millimeters. Striking was performed by hand with cold or slightly heated flans placed between an anvil die and a punch die. The alignment of the dies on base-metal coinage of this era usually favored a regular 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock die axis, though minor rotational deviations occurred frequently during rapid manual striking. The execution of the dies for type 447 demonstrates high technical proficiency, reflecting the refined artistic style of the imperial capital's premier engraving workshops.

Obverse Portraiture and Iconography

The obverse of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447 features a right-facing portrait bust of Hadrian. The emperor is depicted wearing a laurel wreath tied at the nape of the neck with ribbon ties extending downward. Hadrian's hair is rendered in dense, naturalistic curls, and his characteristic closely cropped beard is prominently modeled. This bearded portrait marked a decisive departure from the clean-shaven tradition observed by Roman emperors since Augustus, drawing upon Greek philosophical models and Philhellenic ideals while retaining vigorous Roman military vitality. The truncation of the bust displays a bare chest, though traces of drapery are visible on the far shoulder, a stylistic feature typical of the Rome mint during this chronological phase. The imperial physiognomy is rendered with dignified restraint, emphasizing a firm jaw, prominent brow, and contemplative demeanor. This portrait model established a visual standard that influenced Roman imperial portraiture for over a century, signaling intellectual authority alongside sovereign command.

Reverse Iconography: The Pietas Motif

The reverse of the coin is dominated by the full-length standing figure of Pietas, the Roman personification of dutiful respect, religious veneration, and familial loyalty. Pietas stands facing forward with her head turned to the left, wearing long flowing drapery and a veil that covers her hair in accordance with traditional Roman sacrificial protocols. To her left sits a low, lighted altar. Pietas raises her right hand above or toward the altar in an attitude of sacrificial invocation, often interpreted as casting incense grains upon the flames. The motif connects the emperor directly with traditional Roman religious rituals, asserting his role as the premier intermediary between the gods and the Roman state. Rather than celebrating aggressive foreign conquests, this iconography emphasized domestic tranquility, divine favor, and conscientious governance. The personification of Pietas had deep historical roots in Roman republican and early imperial numismatics, but under Hadrian, it gained renewed significance as an ideological affirmation of his adoption by Trajan and his adherence to ancestral customs.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Analysis

The inscriptional program of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447 combines customary imperial titature on the obverse with religious and constitutional formulas on the reverse. The obverse legend reads IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG, encircling the portrait clockwise. This inscription integrates the military title Imperator with Hadrian's adopted dynastic lineage (Traianus) and the exalted cognomen Augustus, underscoring continuity with the reign of his predecessor. On the reverse, the circumferential legend reads PONT MAX TR POT COS III, representing the titles Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), Tribunicia Potestate (possessor of tribunician power), and Consul Tertium (consul for the third time). In the lower field, the reverse displays the specific abbreviation PIE AVG for Pietas Augusti, explicitly dedicating the virtue to the emperor. Flanking the central figure in the left and right fields are the large letters S C, signifying Senatus Consulto. This formal abbreviation confirmed that the base-metal issue was struck by authority of the Senate, maintaining the constitutional convention that differentiated bronze and brass issues from imperial gold and silver denominations.

Typology, Dating, and Classification

In the revised classification of the Roman Imperial Coinage corpus, this specific issue is designated as RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 447, superseding earlier arrangements in the original 1926 first edition. The issue is securely dated to the brief interval of AD 120 to AD 121 based on inscriptional and stylistic criteria. Hadrian held his third consulship starting on January 1, AD 119, but never assumed a fourth consulship; consequently, the title COS III appeared on his coinage until his death in AD 138. Modern scholarship relies on shifting obverse legend formulas and portrait treatments to establish fine chronological subdivisions within this broad consular period. The obverse formula IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG belongs to the early third-consulship phase, used extensively from late AD 119 until approximately AD 123, when shorter legends such as HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS were introduced. The specific combination of this obverse legend with the reverse legend naming PONT MAX TR POT COS III alongside the field legend PIE AVG isolates type 447 to the years AD 120-121, immediately preceding Hadrian's departure on his first extensive tour of the western provinces.

Circulation Patterns and Monetary Life

Bronze asses produced at the Rome mint circulated widely across the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Italia, Gallia, Hispania, and the Rhine-Danube military frontier. Archaeological evidence from hoards, camp settlements, and urban excavations indicates that Hadrianic base-metal coins experienced prolonged periods of circulation, frequently remaining in active commercial use for several decades. Because copper coins possessed an intrinsic metal value lower than their official token tariff, the Roman state rarely retired them aggressively, allowing them to circulate alongside Flavian and Trajanic issues until extensive surface wear obscured their details. The Pietas reverse type 447 is attested in western site-finds and small civic accumulations, showing standard patterns of honest wear, edge knocks, and natural patination. While silver denarii and gold aurei traveled freely between military outposts and imperial administrative centers, bronze asses filled a vital local economic function, mediating daily cash transactions and reflecting imperial civic messaging in everyday urban commerce.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-161) - Hadrian. Type 447
2. The Chronology of the Coinage of Hadrian: Methodological Reconsiderations. Numismatic Chronicle
3. The Metallurgy of Roman Imperial Coinage. pp. 210-235
4. Hadrian's Public Image: Numismatic Contexts and Ideology. pp. 45-68
5. Coining Images of Power: Imperial Virtue and Propaganda in the Roman Empire. pp. 120-135
6. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. Hadrian Base Metal Catalogue
7. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Hadrian. pp. 102-115