Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ25 - Hadrian ΑϹΚΛΗΠΕΙΑ
| Issuer | Epidaurus (Achaea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-138 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | RPC III#398 |
| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of Asclepius facing right, rendered in the Greek provincial style characteristic of Hadrianic-era Peloponnesian coinage. The god is depicted with a full beard and wreathed head, his drapery visible at the truncation. The encircling legend ΙΕΡΑϹ ΕΠΙΔΑΥΡΟΥ runs around the periphery of the flan, identifying the issuing sanctuary city of holy Epidaurus. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ΑϹΚΛΗΠΕΙΑ (Translation: Asclepian (games)) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Epidaurus was the single most important cult center of Asklepios in the ancient world — the god's mythological birthplace and home to the great sanctuary where pilgrims traveled from across the Mediterranean seeking healing. The city's right to issue bronze coinage under Hadrian was almost certainly tied to his active patronage of Greek religious sites; he visited the Peloponnese and is known to have made dedications at major sanctuaries during his tours of the eastern provinces.
The festival name in the coin's title, the Asklepieia, references the quadrennial games held at the sanctuary, ranking among the recognized Panhellenic circuit by the imperial period.