Æ22 - Hadrian ϹΚΗ-ΨΙΝ (to l. and r.)

Scepsis was an ancient Troad city with a peculiar claim to fame: according to Strabo, the library of Aristotle was hidden there by heirs of Theophrastus, stored in a pit to prevent its seizure by Attalid kings, where it remained largely inaccessible for roughly two centuries before surfacing in Rome. A city that once sat on those manuscripts issuing bronze under Hadrian carries a specific kind of historical density that the coin's modest module does nothing to advertise.