Hadrian Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2252

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

During the High Roman Empire, the monetary system operated on a multi-tiered bimetallic and base-metal standard anchored by gold and silver, with large orichalcum and copper denominations serving as everyday media of exchange throughout urban commerce and state disbursements. The sestertius held a central institutional position within this currency framework. Valued at four asses, two dupondii, or one-fourth of a pure silver denarius, the sestertius functioned as both an accounting unit and the physical foundation of high-value cash transactions within Italian and provincial markets. Struck from orichalcum, a copper-zinc brass alloy valued above pure copper, the sestertius provided a wide flan that served as an ideal platform for imperial messaging. Under Hadrian, whose reign spanned from 117 to 138 AD, bronze coinage was deployed with exceptional iconographic diversity. By 136 AD, the Roman mint had undergone multiple stylistic and administrative phases, transitioning from early triumphal and public-works themes to extensive provincial travel motifs, and finally settling into an introspective, consolidatory phase characterized by standard blessings, divine virtues, and civic harmony.

Mint Organization and Production Standards

RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2252 was struck exclusively at the central imperial mint in Rome. By the 130s AD, imperial brass and copper coinage was tightly centralized within the capital, whereas earlier decades had occasionally witnessed auxiliary western branch mints or provincial bronze series in the East. Rome's mint workshops operated under the authority of the equestrian procurator monetae, supported by experienced die-engravers, flan-casters, and striking teams. Flans for orichalcum sestertii were cast in open or two-part molds before being heated and hand-struck between engraved bronze or iron dies. In this late period of Hadrian's reign, typical sestertii conformed to an empirical weight standard centered roughly between 24 and 28 grams, with diameters spanning approximately 31 to 34 millimeters, though individual specimens routinely deviated due to manual flan preparation and slight variances in zinc content. Die alignment for Rome's imperial bronzes was generally regular, predominantly following a vertical or near-vertical axis. The high relief of the mature portraiture required significant striking force, frequently producing slight flan cracking around the rim.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of type 2252 presents a mature, idealized portrait of Hadrian facing right. In accordance with the catalogue classification of RIC II.3, the emperor is depicted with a laurel wreath bound behind the head with ribbon ties trailing along the neck. The bust is shown draped, viewed from the rear or side, allowing the folds of the paludamentum or mantle to frame the neck and shoulder line. Hadrian's late numismatic portraiture is marked by deep, refined naturalism executed in high classical style. The characteristic beard, which Hadrian famously adopted to align himself with Greek philosophy and intellectualism, is carefully articulated with crisp curls across the jaw and chin. The facial features reflect the emperor's advanced age by 136 AD, showing a prominent brow and structured profile while maintaining the dignity required of imperial majesty. This portrait type represents the definitive artistic culmination of the late Hadrianic school at the Rome mint.

Reverse Iconography and Attributes

The reverse design displays Felicitas standing draped and facing left. In her right hand she extends a caduceus, the staff of Mercury symbolizing peaceful commerce, auspicious tidings, and divine favor. In her left arm she cradles an overflowing cornucopia, the traditional horn of plenty representing agrarian abundance, stability, and imperial munificence. An exceptional diagnostic element of type 2252 is the presence of a wheel placed at her feet to the left. While the caduceus and cornucopia are standard attributes of Felicitas, the wheel is more commonly associated with Fortuna or Nemesis, where it signifies the cyclical turning of fate, swift mobility, and inescapable divine regulation. Its inclusion alongside Felicitas synthesizes the concepts of good fortune and rapid imperial transit, or perhaps commemorates continuous prosperity moving unimpeded throughout the Mediterranean world. Flanking the lower fields on either side of the figure, the letters S and C denote Senatus Consulto, the formal formula recording senatorial authorization for the issue of base-metal coinage.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse inscription reads HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, running clockwise continuously around the portrait. This concise legend represents the final formulaic phase of Hadrian's reign. It combines his personal name (Hadrianus) with the imperial title Augustus (AVG), his third consulship (COS III, entered in 119 AD and never renewed), and the title Pater Patriae (P P, Father of the Country), which Hadrian formally accepted in 128 AD. The reverse inscription reads FELICITAS AVG, positioned around the upper periphery, with the letters S and C placed in the left and right fields respectively. The phrase abbreviates Felicitas Augusti, translating as 'the Felicity of the Augustus'. This legend attributes the ongoing prosperity, peace, and abundance of the empire directly to the divine virtue and watchful stewardship of the reigning princeps, reassuring the public of state stability during the aging emperor's final years.

Typological Classification and Chronology

In the original 1926 first edition of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume II by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham, Hadrian's bronze coinage was organized into broad chronological bands that grouped varied reverse types across wide spans. The modern second edition, RIC II, Part 3 (issued by Richard Abdy and Peter F. Harling in 2019), revised the internal sequence of Hadrian's coinage using die studies, hoard synchronisms, and stylistic groupings, assigning this exact type to entry 2252. Type 2252 is securely dated to 136 AD based on the established sequence of the late COS III P P bronzes. This year represented a critical juncture in the dynasty: Hadrian suffered from deteriorating physical health, prompting him to initiate formal succession planning that led to the adoption of Lucius Ceionius Commodus (Aelius Caesar) later in the year. The celebration of Felicitas with a wheel fits comfortably into this period of political realignment, emphasizing that the state's enduring good fortune remained unbroken and dynamically preserved.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Monetary Lifespan

As high-value base-metal coin, sestertii struck in 136 AD circulated extensively across both civilian and military spheres of the Roman Empire. Originating in Rome, large quantities of bronze currency were transported through military pay chests, administrative disbursements, and long-distance trade networks into Gaul, the Rhine and Danube frontiers, Britain, and across the Italian peninsula. Unlike gold aurei or silver denarii, which were frequently hoarded in times of crisis or exported beyond the imperial frontiers, orichalcum sestertii remained active in circulation for decades. Wear patterns observed in excavation deposits and mixed bronze hoards demonstrate that second-century sestertii routinely circulated well into the Severan era and the mid-third century AD. By that point, prolonged handling had typically smoothed the surface relief, gradually reducing zinc concentrations through surface corrosion and leaving the coins heavily worn before the ultimate collapse of the traditional bronze denominational system in the late third century.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-138): Hadrian. RIC II.3 2252
2. Roman Coinage in Britain. Shire Archaeology, 1980
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 512-516
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2252. ric.2_3(2).hdn.2252
5. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Hadrian. Stuttgart, 1933