Æ21 - Hadrian COL L IVL COR

Hadrian visited Corinth during his Greek tour of 124–125 AD and again around 128–129, and the city — refounded as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 44 BC — used his patronage aggressively. The colonial title COL L IVL COR (Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis) stamped on civic bronzes of this period was a deliberate assertion of Latin status in a sea of Greek-speaking communities, distinguishing Corinth from the surrounding Achaean cities that issued coinage under Greek civic authority.

Hadrian granted the city significant building projects, including completion of work on the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Athens, which benefited Corinthian prestige by proximity.