Hadrian Dupondius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 153

Monetary Context

The monetary system inherited by Hadrian in 117 AD maintained the structural framework originally established by Augustus and reformed under Nero. In this trimetallic currency system, base-metal coinage fulfilled an essential role in daily retail transactions, minor military disbursements, and local market trade throughout the Roman Empire. The dupondius, valued at two asses or one-half of a sestertius, was struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned brass alloy composed primarily of copper and zinc. This distinct metallurgical composition differentiated the dupondius and sestertius from the lower-denomination as and semis, which were struck in unalloyed red copper. When Hadrian ascended the throne in August 117 AD, his immediate monetary priority was to establish institutional stability and ideological legitimacy across the empire. The issue catalogued as RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 153 was struck in 118 AD during Hadrian's second consulship. The title Fortuna Redux on the reverse served a vital political and fiscal function: it heralded the emperor's journey back to the capital from Antioch and the Danube frontier to take formal control of the administration in Rome. By issuing orichalcum dupondii bearing this civic message alongside traditional senatorial authorization, the imperial mint supplied necessary low-value liquidity while reassuring the Roman populace and the Senate of administrative continuity and divine protection.

Production and Mints

RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 153 was produced exclusively by the central imperial mint in Rome. The mint operated under the overall direction of the equestrian procurator monetae, with individual workshops (officinae) organizing the preparation of flans, die engraving, and striking. Bronze and brass coin production required careful alloy preparation to achieve the desired golden hue of orichalcum, which relied on the cementation process combining copper with calamine (zinc carbonate ore). Flans were cast in molds and often finished to approximate the intended weight standard before striking between hand-carved iron dies. For early Hadrianic dupondii, the target weight standard generally centered between 11.50 and 14.50 grams, with typical diameters ranging between 26 and 28 millimeters, though deliberate weight tolerances were comparatively loose for base-metal fiat denominations. Production employed an upper die held manually and struck by hammer against an anvil die. Alignment across imperial issues of this period typically followed a standard six-o'clock or twelve-o'clock die axis, reflecting rigorous procedural discipline in the Roman workshops.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse design features a right-facing portrait bust of Hadrian wearing a radiate crown. Within the Roman monetary convention established in the mid-first century AD, the radiate crown served as the primary visual marker distinguishing the orichalcum dupondius from the copper as of similar physical dimensions, ensuring that users could immediately recognize its doubled purchasing power even when surface patination obscured the color of the metal alloy. Hadrian's bust is rendered with a bare chest, showing slight traces of drapery across the far shoulder. This portrait marks a major shift in imperial iconography. Departing from the clean-shaven tradition of Trajan and the Julio-Claudian rulers, Hadrian is depicted with tightly curled hair and a short, neatly trimmed beard. While ancient literary tradition attributed this style to Greek philhellenism or a desire to conceal facial blemishes, numismatists recognize it as the beginning of a standardized Antonine imperial aesthetic that endured for over a century. The die engraving shows high sculptural relief, projecting calm authority and military vitality.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 153 depicts the goddess Fortuna seated toward the left on a low throne or stool. In her right hand, extended downward, she holds a ship's rudder, which rests upon the ground or an implied terrestrial globe, symbolizing guidance, steering of human affairs, and naval safety. Cradled in her left arm is a cornucopia overflowing with fruits, representing the peace, material abundance, and economic prosperity brought by her favor. This specific manifestation of the goddess is Fortuna Redux, the personification of Fortune who secures a safe return from dangerous journeys abroad. In the context of 118 AD, the iconography directly celebrated Hadrian's ongoing journey across the empire toward Rome following his proclamation as emperor in Syria. The type assured the inhabitants of the capital that the new princeps was returning under divine guidance to inaugurate an era of stability. Flanking the seated figure or positioned in the lower field alongside the exergual legend are the prominent letters S C, signifying Senatus Consulto, the official decree of the Senate sanctioning the emission of public base-metal coinage.

Legends and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription reads IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG, arranged clockwise along the rim. This early titulature is historically significant because it retains the name of Trajan (Traianus), affirming Hadrian's formal adoption and political legitimacy during the opening months of his reign before his titles settled into the more concise Hadrianus Augustus formula used in later decades. The primary reverse legend reads PONT MAX TR POT COS II, which abbreviates Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, and Consul Iterum. These titles outline Hadrian's supreme religious authority as high priest, his constitutional civil authority via the tribunician power, and his second consulship, which was entered on January 1, 118 AD. In the exergue at the base of the coin, the legend FORT RED clearly identifies the personification as Fortuna Redux. The formula S C, standing for Senatus Consulto, appears either divided in the reverse fields (S to the left, C to the right) or directly in the exergue depending on the specific die variant, formally proclaiming that the Senate authorized this token-value coinage in accordance with traditional Roman constitutional practice.

Types and Chronology

In the updated classification presented in The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3 (second edition), this issue is catalogued under number 153. The precise chronology of the type is firmly established by Hadrian's consular notation COS II, which dates the issue exclusively to the year 118 AD. In 119 AD, Hadrian entered his third consulship, after which his coin legends almost universally transitioned to COS III, making COS II issues a tight, well-defined chronological horizon within the reign. RIC 153 is part of a coordinated series of early bronze and brass denominations celebrating the initial events of the reign, including the accession, the conferral of imperial titles, and the journey to Rome. Close typological parallels exist within the same emission, including corresponding sestertii with laureate portraits and denarii bearing identical Fortuna Redux legends. Within type 153, minor die varieties exist in the placement of the letters S C (flanking Fortuna's body in the field or tucked into the exergual register) and minor variations in the drapery on the emperor's far shoulder, but all share the identical conceptual framework and authority.

Circulation and Monetary Role

Once released by the Rome mint, dupondii of this type were integrated into the vast currency pool of the Roman world. While high-value gold and silver coins moved rapidly along military supply corridors and taxation channels, base-metal coinage such as the dupondius circulated extensively in regional market economies, especially in Italy, the western provinces of Gaul, Hispania, and the Rhineland frontier garrisons. Dupondii were frequently used for daily foodstuffs, baths, transportation, and small-scale artisanal goods. Due to the durability of orichalcum and the prolonged lifespan of Roman bronze coins, specimens of RIC 153 remained in active commercial circulation for decades. Archaeological site finds and hoards indicate that second-century base-metal coins routinely circulated well into the third century AD, often accumulating heavy surface wear before eventual loss or remelting. The presence of these coins across civilian settlements and military encampments illustrates the effective monetary integration of the early Antonine state.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-138): Hadrian. Type 153, p. 118
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. Hadrian 1130-1135
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 153. ric.2_3(2).hdn.153
4. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Hadrian. Nos. 504-512