Hadrian Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 668

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The sestertius held a preeminent position within the reformed monetary system instituted by Augustus in 23 BC, functioning as the premier large-format token denomination in circulation across the Roman Empire. Valued at four copper asses, two brass dupondii, or one-quarter of an imperial silver denarius, the sestertius was cast and struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper-zinc brass alloy. In the economic environment of the high principate, the denomination represented substantial purchasing power, suitable for mid-level commercial transactions, market trade, tax payments, and official disbursements such as imperial congiaria. Because of its expansive surface area and heavy flan, the sestertius also functioned as an indispensable medium for imperial messaging, presenting political and religious themes to a wide public audience across Rome and the Western provinces.

Production Standards and Minting at Rome

RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 668 was produced exclusively at the central imperial mint in Rome. Production involved cold or hot striking using engraved bronze or hardened iron dies onto pre-cast cast-flans of brass. The metallurgical composition of sestertii under Hadrian maintained an orichalcum standard with an intended zinc content ranging approximately between 15 and 20 percent, though recycled metal and natural variations frequently reduced zinc levels toward leaded bronze alloys. Sestertii of this series typically aimed for a theoretical mass standard centered around 25 to 28 grams with flan diameters commonly measuring between 31 and 34 millimeters, though individual specimens vary according to mint tolerances and subsequent circulation wear. Mint operation followed strict administrative oversight under the procurator monetae, organizing die engravers and striking crews across designated officinae.

Obverse Portraiture and Style

The obverse of this issue presents a mature portrait of Hadrian, laureate, draped, and cuirassed, directed to the right and depicted with a frontal bust perspective. Hadrian's adoption of a full, neatly trimmed philosopher's beard marked a dramatic aesthetic break with the clean-shaven tradition observed by Julio-Claudian, Flavian, and earlier adoptive emperors. The rendering on this issue demonstrates the refined classicism developed at the Rome mint during the early AD 120s, combining smooth facial modeling with detailed naturalistic rendering of hair and beard curls. The laurel wreath rests upon the crown with ribbons trailing downward along the neck, while the paludamentum (military cloak) and cuirass accentuate Hadrian's imperial role as commander-in-chief of the Roman legions.

Reverse Iconography of Minerva

The reverse type depicts the goddess Minerva standing facing left, engaged in a ritual sacrifice. With her right hand, she sprinkles incense onto a tall, lighted candelabrum standing to her left, while her left hand supports a vertical spear. Resting beside her feet to the right is her characteristic round shield, from which a coiled serpent emerges or rests within. Minerva, closely associated with wisdom, tactical warfare, statecraft, and artisan crafts, holds a deeply rooted position in the Roman Capitoline triad. The act of offering incense underscores pietas, the conscientious fulfillment of religious obligation, framing imperial governance as supported by divine favor. The presence of the snake invokes healing, protection, and chthonic vigilance, reinforcing the security of the emperor and the state.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The obverse legend reads IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, tracing clockwise along the border. This formula proclaims Hadrian's imperatorial acclamation, his legal lineage through adoption by the deified Trajan, his personal cognomen, and the sacrosanct title Augustus. On the reverse, the circumscription P M TR P COS III represents Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, and Consul Tertium. Hadrian assumed his third consulship on January 1, AD 119, and never accepted a fourth, meaning that COS III remained a static titular element on his coinage for the rest of his reign. Flanking the lower fields of the reverse is the traditional formula S C, standing for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), which legally authorized the striking of base-metal coinage and preserved constitutional precedent.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the revised classification of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume II, Part 3 by Richard Abdy and Peter Franz Mittag (2019), type 668 is assigned to the chronological bracket of AD 121 to 123. This classification updates older arrangements, such as the original 1926 edition of RIC II where similar types were loosely grouped under broader headings. The specific obverse legend IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, combined with reverse titulature continuing P M TR P COS III without later titles such as Pater Patriae (introduced in AD 128), fixes the striking period to Hadrian's early travel period. Related sestertius issues of this timeframe display parallel obverse bust varieties, including bare-headed, draped-only, or left-facing portraits, while type 668 specifically isolates the laureate, draped, and cuirassed rightward bust.

Circulation, Wear, and Archaeological Context

Sestertii of Hadrian enjoyed widespread circulation across the urban and military markets of the Roman world, particularly in Italy, the Danube frontier, the Gallic provinces, and Roman Britain. Because orichalcum sestertii possessed intrinsic value lower than their nominal state tariff, they circulated alongside earlier Flavian and Trajanic brasses for decades. Archaeological deposits and hoards show that mid-Hadrianic sestertii routinely remained in active use well into the Severan era, suffering substantial abrasion, surface smoothing, and corrosion before final burial or withdrawal. The survival of specimens in various grades of wear provides numismatists and archaeologists with reliable termini post quos for the abandonment or construction of civil and military structures across Roman Europe.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: Hadrian. pp. 132-135, no. 668
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver and Base Coinage. pp. 48-52
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 418-425
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 668. ric.2_3(2).hdn.668