Hadrian Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

The sestertius formed the bedrock of high-value everyday cash transactions in the monetary system of the High Roman Empire. Valued at one quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius was struck in orichalcum, a golden-hued brass alloy composed of copper alloyed with zinc. By the reign of Hadrian (AD 117 to 138), the denomination served not merely as a practical medium of commerce across Italy and the western provinces, but also as the premier visual platform for imperial communication. Due to its broad diameter and generous flan surface, often measuring between 31 and 34 millimeters, the sestertius offered Roman die engravers sufficient space to execute intricate, multifigured compositions that would be difficult to render legibly on smaller silver or bronze denominations. RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065 exemplifies this commemorative function. During the final decade of his principate, Hadrian deployed the sestertius to present a retrospective visual summary of his extensive travels, provincial reorganizations, and ultimate return to Rome. While earlier emperors frequently used coinage to publicize specific military victories or territorial accessions, Hadrian modified imperial messaging to emphasize administrative stability, religious piety, and the mutual cohesion of the empire. Within this monetary landscape, the production of large-scale orichalcum issues reinforced civic confidence by pairing intrinsic metallic worth with recognizable themes of civic harmony and state security.

Production Standards and Mint Attribution

RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065 was struck exclusively at the principal imperial mint in Rome. Production of large base-metal denominations required significant technical coordination, starting with the casting of heavy, circular orichalcum blanks. These planchets were heated prior to being placed between hardened bronze or iron dies, enabling the strike to achieve high relief without fracturing the metal. While individual specimens vary in mass due to the ancient practice of striking coins al marco, meaning a fixed number of blanks was weighed out per Roman pound rather than individually adjusted to an exact standard, sestertii of this period typically aim for a theoretical weight standard around 25 to 28 grams. Die alignment at the Rome mint under Hadrian was conventionally regular, usually adhering to a six o'clock or twelve o'clock orientation. The physical execution of RIC 2065 displays the refined plastic modeling characteristic of the Rome mint's mature engravers during the 130s AD. Die cutters achieved depth through delicate rendering of the imperial portrait's facial features and drapery folds, balanced on the reverse by carefully proportional human figures that fill the circular field without crowding the marginal lettering.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065 features a mature portrait bust of Hadrian facing right. In keeping with the variety recorded under this specific catalogue number, the emperor is depicted with a laurel wreath tied at the nape of the neck, with drapery visible across the bust and viewed either from the side or slightly from the rear. Hadrian's numismatic portraiture represents a distinct stylistic shift in imperial representation, marked by the introduction of a carefully trimmed Greek-style beard, full curly hair, and sculpted facial planes that convey philosophical gravitas. By the mid-130s AD, portrait dies had developed past the youthful energetic realism of his early reign, adopting an idealized, dignified expression that reflected his status as senior statesman of the Mediterranean world. The laureate wreath signifies sacred authority and triumph, while the drapery indicates civil and military dignity. The bust is centered within the field, surrounded by the peripheral legend, ensuring balanced spacing between the relief elements and the outer border of fine dots.

Reverse Typology: The Adventus Augusti Motif

The reverse design of this type illustrates a pivotal scene from Hadrian's ideological repertoire: the Adventus Augusti, or ceremonial imperial arrival. The composition depicts Hadrian standing on the left facing right, dressed in a toga or civic military attire, holding a scroll in his left hand while raising or extending his right hand in a formal gesture of greeting. Confronting him stands Roma, the divine personification of the imperial city, facing left toward the princeps. Roma is dressed in classical Amazon-style military tunic or draped garb, holding a vertical spear in one hand, often resting her other hand or extending it in greeting toward the emperor. The scene captures the ritualized moment of re-entry when the wandering ruler is officially welcomed back by the personified heart of the Roman state. The presence of the scroll in Hadrian's grasp emphasizes administrative duty, civic lawgiving, and intellectual authority rather than raw conquest. The letters S C are positioned prominently in the lower field or exergue, recording the formal decree of the Senate (Senatus Consulto) that traditionally authorized the issuance of base-metal coinage. The interaction between Hadrian and Roma visually encapsulates a negotiated balance between autocratic travel and traditional republican civic identity.

Epigraphy and Legend Interpretation

The epigraphic program of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065 is clear and formulaic, reflecting the standard late epigraphy of Hadrian's administration. The obverse legend reads HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, moving clockwise along the rim. This inscription abbreviates Hadrianus Augustus, Consul Tertium, Pater Patriae. The retention of the third consulship (COS III), an office Hadrian assumed for the third and final time in AD 119, indicates that the coin was struck after that year. The addition of Pater Patriae (Father of his Country), a title Hadrian formally accepted around AD 128, provides a strict epigraphic terminus post quem for the entire issue. On the reverse, the legend ADVENTVS AVGVSTI encircles the upper flan, translated as 'The Arrival of the Augustus.' This inscription identifies the specific ceremonial nature of the event being celebrated. In the exergue, the initials S C stand for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), marking the constitutional cooperation between the senatorial order and the emperor in validating bronze and brass money.

Typological Classification and Chronological Placement

In the revised typology of the Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II, Part 3, second edition, edited by Richard Abdy and Peter Pfisterer), type 2065 is classified within the expansive late-reign commemorative program struck between AD 133 and 135. This dating corresponds to the period following Hadrian's return to Rome from his final journey to the eastern provinces and Judaea. While earlier scholarship by Harold Mattingly in BMCRE III and Paul Strack grouped these arrival issues under broad umbrella categories spanning AD 134 to 138, refined die studies and chronological analyses place the Adventus Augusti issues commemorating Rome specifically into the window of AD 133 to 135. Type 2065 is strictly defined by the combination of its obverse portrait variety (laureate and draped bust, viewed from the rear or side), its specific obverse legend ending in P P, and the paired figures of Hadrian and Roma accompanied by the ADVENTVS AVGVSTI legend and exergual S C. It must be carefully distinguished from companion types featuring bare-headed portraits, cuirassed-only busts, or alternate reverse legends that honor arrivals in specific provinces such as Hispania, Britannia, or Asia.

Circulation Patterns and Archaeological Context

Although struck at the imperial capital to commemorate an event directly tied to the city of Rome, sestertii of the travel and adventus series circulated extensively across the western Roman provinces as well as within the Italian peninsula. Archaeological findspots from military vici along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, urban deposits in Roman Gaul and Britain, and hoards from central Italy demonstrate that base-metal coinage struck at Rome was systematically dispersed throughout the empire via fiscal mechanisms such as troop pay and state procurement. Because sestertii possessed considerable physical mass and durability, specimens of RIC 2065 remained in active circulation for decades following Hadrian's death, frequently appearing in mixed second-century hoards buried during the Antonine and Severan eras. Over extended decades of commerce, these orichalcum pieces experienced significant surface attrition, smoothing fine portrait details and softening reverse relief, yet their distinctive two-figure silhouette and bold legend remained recognizable to users throughout the Roman world.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius: Hadrian. pp. 195-205, no. 2065
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. cxxv-cxxxi, 480-495
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2065. Type 2065
4. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil II: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Hadrian. pp. 140-165