Hadrian Sestertius, RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2255

Monetary Context of the Late Hadrianic Sestertius

In the monetary system established by Augustus and maintained throughout the High Empire, the sestertius occupied a central economic and fiscal position. Valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius was the highest-denomination base-metal coin produced in imperial mints. It was struck from orichalcum, a golden-hued alloy of copper and zinc that distinguished it visually and metallurgically from the pure red copper used for asses and quadrantes. Because of its large module and substantial intrinsic worth compared to minor fractions, the sestertius served as the standard unit of public accounting, military expenditure records, tax assessments, and significant market transactions throughout Rome and the western provinces. By AD 136, Hadrian had ruled for almost two decades. The monetary production of this twilight period reflected a mature administrative system consolidating decades of financial and territorial governance. The introduction of types celebrating Felicitas, the embodiment of happy abundance, state welfare, and enduring peace, functioned within an ideological program reassuring the empire of stability as the emperor faced deteriorating health and navigated the sensitive issue of dynastic succession.

Mint Organization and Physical Production

All regular imperial brass and copper coinage bearing the standard senatorial decree formula S C during Hadrian's reign was struck at the centralized mint of Rome. Operating under the administrative oversight of the rationalis and managed locally by procurators and collegia of mint workers (monetarii), the Rome mint achieved high levels of technical consistency during the 130s AD. Blanks for sestertii were cast individually in open moulds or flan trees before being cold-hammered or slightly heated to achieve proper circularity and planchet ductility. Struck using heavy iron dies mounted in anvils, the production of these massive coins demanded considerable force from strike teams composed of malleatores and signatores. Metallurgical analyses of late Hadrianic orichalcum reveal a zinc content generally ranging between twelve and eighteen percent, though secondary remelting of earlier Julio-Claudian and Flavian brass scrap caused minor fluctuations in composition. Standard planchet diameters for RIC II.3 2255 typically measure between 31 and 33 millimeters, with typical weights clustered around 25 to 28 grams, conforming closely to the traditional imperial sestertius standard of approximately one Roman ounce (uncia).

Obverse Typology and Imperial Iconography

The obverse of RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2255 presents a mature, right-facing portrait of Hadrian wearing the laurel wreath (corona civica/triumphalis). In this late stage of his iconographic progression, known to art historians as the late or 'decennalia/vicennalia' portrait group, Hadrian is rendered with naturalistic gravitas. The portrait features his characteristic Greek-inspired beard, carefully parted into textured rows of curls, alongside a prominent straight nose, deep-set orbital arches, and subtle facial creasing that conveys the passage of time without compromising the dignified serenity expected of an Augustus. The laurel wreath rests securely around the cranium, with its ribbons (taeniae) falling gracefully over the nape of the neck. The truncature of the neck is left bare, focusing all compositional attention on the imperial visage and its psychological presence. Die cutters at the Rome mint balanced the scale of the head perfectly against the circular field, leaving comfortable clearance for the enclosing epigraphic legend.

Reverse Imagery of Felicitas

The reverse design of this catalogue type depicts Felicitas standing facing, head turned left, fully garbed in a classical stola and palla that drape in elegant fluted folds down to her feet. In her right hand she extends an olive branch forward, an attribute signaling peaceful reconciliation, fruitfulness, and tranquility. In her left hand she cradles a long caduceus, the ancient herald's staff entwined with serpents, representing mercantile prosperity, good fortune, and divine favor. The personification is flanked on either side of the field by the large, prominent letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. The composition of Felicitas holding both branch and caduceus synthesizes two primary imperial blessings: the internal harmony that allows agriculture and civil life to flourish, and the commercial vibrancy fostered by secure roads and seas. Unlike the active, dynamic stances seen on earlier travel series reverses, this late reverse design conveys monumental calm, reinforcing the permanent state of well-being that Hadrian's long administration claimed to have bestowed upon the Roman world.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The legends on this sestertius are concise and formulaic, conforming strictly to the streamlined imperial titulature adopted during Hadrian's final administrative period. The obverse reads HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P in an uninterrupted or outward-facing circular sequence. In this inscription, HADRIANVS AVG presents the simple personal nomen and the sacred title Augustus. COS III references his third consulship, which commenced in AD 119 and was never renewed, remaining his static consular count for the remainder of his life. P P abbreviates Pater Patriae ('Father of his Country'), an honorific title Hadrian officially accepted around AD 128 after initially declining it early in his reign. The reverse legend reads FELICITAS AVG, abbreviating Felicitas Augusti ('The Felicity of the Augustus'). This legend directly connects the broad theological concept of public prosperity to the person, office, and virtues of the ruling emperor. In the lower or lateral field, the letters S C stand for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), marking the traditional constitutional sanction governing base-metal coinage in Rome.

Typological Placement and Chronological Framework

In the second edition of Roman Imperial Coinage Volume II, Part 3, revised by Richard Abdy and Margherita Taliercio Mensitieri, Hadrian's coinage is arranged into a refined, die-linked chronological sequence. RIC 2255 is assigned specifically to AD 136, falling into Hadrian's final emission groups struck alongside issues celebrating the adoption of Lucius Aelius Caesar. In the original 1926 first edition of RIC II by Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham, broad ranges (such as AD 119-138 or AD 134-138) were frequently assigned to coins bearing COS III P P without finer subdivision. Modern die-link analysis, hoard composition studies, and epigraphic evolution have allowed RIC 2255 to be securely placed in the penultimate year before Hadrian's death in AD 138. It is distinguished typologically from neighboring issues by the precise pairing of the laureate head right (without bust drapery) with the standing Felicitas holding branch and caduceus, separating it from related sestertii where Felicitas holds a cornucopia, patera, or rudder, or where the emperor appears bare-headed or draped.

Circulation and Monetary Life

Once released from the mint in Rome, sestertii of this issue entered a wide and durable circulation stream across the empire. Hoard evidence and urban archaeological excavations show that base-metal issues of the Hadrianic period circulated extensively for decades, often remaining in active currency well into the Severan era. Because orichalcum lost its bright golden sheen quickly upon exposure to handling and soil, circulating pieces developed dark green or brown copper patinas over time. As these large brass pieces circulated through markets, military payments, and civic donations, they experienced significant wear, with high-relief elements like Hadrian's hair curls and the caduceus finials gradually flattening. While provincial cities in the Greek East primarily produced their own civic bronzes, Roman sestertii served as the undisputed dominant large denomination across Italy, Gaul, the Rhineland, Britannia, Hispania, and the Danubian frontiers, ensuring that the visual imagery of Felicitas Augusti reached every socioeconomic stratum of the Western Roman Empire.

References

1. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II, Part 3: From Hadrian to Antoninus Pius (AD 117-138) - Hadrian. p. 250, no. 2255
2. Coinage in the Roman World. pp. 45-68
3. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 490-505
4. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II, Part 3 (second edition) Hadrian 2255. Type 2255