Hadrian Orichalcum Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 1676

Monetary Context and Imperial Function

During the principate of Hadrian, the monetary system established under the Augustan reforms continued to operate with institutional stability. The sestertius was the centerpiece of large-format base-metal coinage, struck in orichalcum, a golden-toned copper-zinc alloy valued at four asses or one quarter of a silver denarius. Because of its generous module and substantial surface area, the sestertius functioned as an essential medium of imperial communication and civic ideology. Hadrian utilized this denomination extensively to articulate public policy, personal administrative achievements, and geographic awareness. In the late 120s and 130s AD, the imperial government embarked on an unprecedented numismatic program celebrating the provinces, armies, and regional travels of the emperor. Type 1676 forms a distinguished part of this thematic output, embodying the integration of the western North African frontier into the broader Roman world. Rather than presenting the territory as a vanquished land through classical subjugation motifs, the sestertius acknowledges Mauretania as a valued constituent of the Roman empire, equipped with its own distinct military and regional identity.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

The manufacture of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 1676 is securely assigned to the principal imperial mint located in Rome. Although Hadrian traveled extensively throughout his realms, the bulk of his official brass and bronze coinage was executed by the centralized urban mint, which maintained the personnel, metallurgy, and die-engraving capability necessary for regular mass production. Production followed the standard Roman striking methods of the early second century AD, using prepared cast flans of orichalcum that were struck between hand-held upper and lower dies. The intended mass standard for sestertii under Hadrian centered nominally around 25 to 28 grams, with diameters commonly falling between 31 and 34 millimeters, though individual specimens vary naturally due to manual flan preparation and alloy variations. The striking of orichalcum required substantial striking force, often leading to slight beveling of flan edges and typical radial flow marks along the peripheries. Surviving specimens demonstrate the high technical competence of the Rome mint engravers, who executed intricate details on the pacing horse, facial features, and drapery folds.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of type 1676 features a mature, dignified portrait of the emperor Hadrian facing right. Hadrian is depicted wearing a laurel wreath, the classic emblem of imperial virtue and victorious leadership, tied at the nape of the neck with ribbon ties extending downward. His bust is draped, typically shown from the side or slightly from the rear, displaying the heavy folds of the paludamentum or cuirass drapery over the left shoulder. In keeping with Hadrianic portrait typology of the 130s AD, the emperor is shown with a closely trimmed, curled beard and stylized waves of hair, an iconographic choice that departed sharply from the clean-shaven tradition of the Julio-Claudian and Flavian dynasties and recalled classical Greek philosopher-statesmen. The engraving conveys an authoritative yet experienced ruler, capturing Hadrian in his mid-fifties following his extensive travels across the provinces.

Reverse Iconography of Mauretania

The reverse iconography centers upon the personification of Mauretania, standing to the left against an architectural or open backdrop indicated simply by the ground line. The figure is depicted holding a javelin in one hand and grasping the bridle of a horse that steps or paces calmly behind her to the left. The inclusion of the horse and javelin directly reflects the famed equestrian and skirmishing prowess of the indigenous Moorish cavalry, which provided elite auxiliary contingents to the Roman army across various frontiers. On select dies within the type, the figure wears an elephant scalp headdress, an ancient North African iconographic attribute traditionally connected to representations of Africa since the Hellenistic era and the Roman Republic, though on other dies the head is bare or features stylized regional curls. The figure has been identified both as a female personification, Mauretania, and by some commentators as a masculine local hero or ethnic representative, Mauretanius. The composition is balanced and active, emphasizing readiness and local heritage while integrating smoothly into the traditional Roman personification idiom.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The inscriptions on RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 1676 are clear, concise, and epigraphically consistent with urban Rome issues of the mid-Hadrianic era. The obverse legend reads HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, running clockwise along the border. This text combines the emperor's personal name with his principal titles: Augustus (AVG), Consul for the third time (COS III), and Pater Patriae (P P), Father of the Country. Hadrian assumed the title Pater Patriae in AD 128, providing a crucial terminus post quem for the series. The reverse displays the geographic legend MAVRETANIA positioned in the upper field or surrounding the central figure, identifying the depicted province unambiguously. In the exergue, beneath the ground line, appears the letters S C, an abbreviation for Senatus Consulto, by decree of the Senate. This formula appeared systematically on official imperial brass and bronze coinage from Rome, reflecting the formal constitutional prerogative of the Senate in sanctioning the city's base-metal issues.

Typology, Classification, and Chronological Range

Within the revised classification of the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II, Part 3), this issue is designated as Hadrian 1676, updating earlier entries in older catalogues such as Mattingly and Sydenham's original volume. It is chronologically assigned to the period between AD 130 and AD 133, coinciding with the culmination of Hadrian's journeys and the planned celebration of his provincial consolidation. In parallel series, similar themes were struck in gold and silver, but the sestertius provided the most monumental physical vehicle for this artistic program. Hadrian 1676 is distinguished from related issues by its specific combination of obverse drapery, right-facing laureate bust, and the reverse arrangement of the figure with horse and javelin. Minor die variations exist regarding whether the figure wears the elephant skin or appears with simple hair, as well as subtle differences in the drape of the clothing and the lettering placement, yet all share the core typology and institutional purpose defined under this specific catalogue number.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Recovery

Although struck exclusively at Rome, sestertii of the provincial series traveled widely throughout the empire, carried by commerce, military transfers, and state expenditures. In circulation, the orichalcum alloy was subject to gradual wear, and surviving specimens frequently show considerable smoothing on the high points of the portrait and reverse relief. Findspot data recorded in European and North African archaeological contexts indicate that large brass sestertii remained in active circulation for decades, frequently remaining in currency well into the Severan period before being removed by demonetization or weight reduction in later centuries. Hoard evidence and single-find assemblages confirm that province-themed coins like Hadrian 1676 circulated alongside older Flavian and Trajanic brass, fulfilling domestic economic needs while simultaneously projecting an enduring visual message of imperial wholeness and regional recognition.

References

1. The Severan and Antonine Monetary Reforms and Roman Imperial Coinage Production. Mid-Imperial Base Metal Series
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. Hadrian, Mauretania issues
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 1676. ric.2_3(2).hdn.1676
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-138), Hadrian. Type 1676, pp. 195-200
5. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Hadrian. Hadrian provincial types