Hadrian Dupondius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 278

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

Under the monetary system established by Augustus and maintained into the second century AD, base-metal coinage fulfilled an essential role in daily market transactions, urban commerce, and local military pay distribution across the western provinces of the Roman Empire. The dupondius stood as the second denomination within the brass and copper hierarchy, tariffed at two asses, one-half of a brass sestertius, or one-eighth of a silver denarius. While the as was struck from unalloyed, reddish copper, the dupondius and sestertius were manufactured from golden-hued orichalcum. Because orichalcum contained zinc, it possessed a higher intrinsic value per unit of mass than pure copper, enabling the state to produce a two-as piece that weighed only slightly more than, or even comparable to, the single as. By the early reign of Hadrian, zinc content in imperial orichalcum had experienced gradual dilution through the regular recycling of older brass circulating stock, but the bright color distinction remained a hallmark of the denomination. To prevent confusion in everyday trade when wear or patina obscured metal composition, imperial mintmasters routinely depicted the emperor wearing a radiate solar crown on the dupondius, contrasting directly with the laureate wreath or bare head reserved for the as. RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 278 exemplifies this denominational division, integrating standard weight conventions and radiate portraiture into the civic circulation of Rome.

Mint Production and Metallurgical Execution

This specific dupondius was struck exclusively at the imperial mint in the capital city of Rome, which handled virtually all regular aes issues for the central administration during the initial years of Hadrian's reign. Production of base-metal coinage involved casting thick, circular flans in two-part open or closed moulds, followed by cold or warm striking between hand-carved steel or bronze dies. Hadrianic dupondii of this period typically adhere to an intended median mass around 12 to 14 grams and a module spanning approximately 26 to 28 millimeters, although individual specimens exhibit natural variations resulting from manual flan clipping, batch melting discrepancies, and uneven striking pressure. The die axis was predominantly aligned in an approximate vertical orientation, conforming to the twelve-o'clock or six-o'clock die relationships standard for second-century imperial mint operations. The presence of the letters S C (Senatus Consulto) on the reverse acknowledges the ancient republican constitutional prerogative of the Roman Senate over base-metal minting. However, this inscription served an administrative and ideological purpose rather than reflecting true senatorial control, as the imperial fiscus directed bullion supply, output volume, and typological messaging.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Image

The obverse of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 278 presents a right-facing portrait bust of Hadrian wearing the radiate crown of Sol. Unlike his predecessors Trajan, Nerva, and the Flavian emperors, Hadrian appears with a closely cropped, curly beard, inaugurating a philhellenic aesthetic that fundamentally altered Roman imperial portrait traditions for more than a century. The radiate crown, featuring pointed solar rays rising from a metallic circlet, serves as both a denominational marker for the dupondius and an ideological symbol associating the living princeps with solar majesty and cosmic harmony. The engraving style on early issues from AD 119 to 120 retains the vigorous, muscular modeling characteristic of late Trajanic portraiture, yet softens the facial contours with distinctively Hadrianic features, including deeply set eyes, an aquiline nose, and detailed locks of hair. The truncation of the bust is carefully terminated above the base of the neck, presenting a compact, dignified likeness framed entirely within a circular beaded border.

Reverse Design: Virtus Augusti

The reverse iconography centers on Virtus, the personification of courage, valor, and moral excellence. The deity is depicted standing and facing right in a dynamic, heroic posture, clad in an exomis or short military tunic that leaves one shoulder bare. Her left foot is planted firmly on a fallen military helmet resting on the groundline, an artistic motif borrowed from classical Greek depictions of victorious warriors and Hellenistic statues of Poseidon or Ares. In her hands, Virtus holds two quintessential military attributes: her left arm cradles a vertical spear with its point angled upward or resting groundward, while her right hand grasps a parazonium, a ceremonial short sword or dagger housed in an ornate scabbard that signified high military command. Flanking the lower fields of the composition are the bold letters S and C. The personification serves not merely as a generic martial emblem, but as an explicit tribute to the personal qualities of the emperor, designated in the accompanying inscription as Virtus Augusti.

Inscriptions and Imperial Titulature

The legends on this type present an exhaustive and formal iteration of Hadrian's imperial titles during his second full year on the throne. The obverse inscription reads unbroken around the circumference: IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG P M TR P COS III. This records his official military salutation as Imperator, the dynastic and personal names Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and his core civil offices: Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), Tribunicia Potestate (possessor of tribunician sacrosanctity), and Consul Tertium (consul for the third time). Hadrian's prominent inclusion of the name Traianus emphasized his status as Trajan's adopted son and legitimate heir, a crucial political message in the wake of the executed consulars controversy early in his reign. The reverse legend reads VIRTVTI AVGVSTI across the upper perimeter, arranged in the dative case to signify a dedicated offering: 'To the Valor of the Emperor.' Combined with the letters S C across the lower fields, the complete reverse statement records the senatorial dedication honoring Hadrian's martial virtue and moral governance.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the modernized typology established by Richard Abdy and Peter Pfisterer in the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II, Part 3), type 278 is dated securely to the period of AD 119 to 120. This dating is anchored firmly by the consular acclamation COS III, which Hadrian assumed on January 1, AD 119. Although Hadrian held the consulship three times throughout his life and never assumed a fourth, his subsequent bronze issues gradually adopted shorter obverse legends, eventually omitting Trajan's name and shifting titles like P M TR P COS III to the reverse fields after AD 121. The long obverse formula running from IMP CAESAR through COS III represents Hadrian's first major bronze series as third-time consul. Type 278 is closely related to companion issues bearing identical legends on bronze sestertii and silver denarii, as well as dupondii featuring different reverse allegories such as Pietas, Felicitas, and Justitia, which together formed a coordinated public relations program early in Hadrian's principate.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Site Finds

Dupondii of the early Hadrianic period circulated extensively throughout the western territories of the Roman Empire, where the supply of official aes coinage was vital for urban market activity and military camp logistics. Archaeological excavations along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, as well as throughout Roman Britain, Gaul, and the Italian peninsula, routinely reveal base-metal coins of Hadrian struck in AD 119 to 120. Because dupondii carried a substantial intrinsic brass component alongside their fiat value, they often remained in active circulation for decades, frequently showing intense surface wear before final loss or deposition. Hoard evidence from the Antonine and Severan eras indicates that early Hadrianic bronze coins were still passing through commercial hands alongside later second-century emissions. While corrosion in acidic soil often degrades the orichalcum fabric to an irregular green or brown patina, the distinctive radiate crown and dynamic stance of Virtus on type 278 allow clear numismatic identification even on well-worn archaeological specimens.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 412-416
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 278. ric.2_3(2).hdn.278
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 3: Hadrian. p. 112, no. 278
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Hadrian. pp. 88-95