Æ25 - Hadrian ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ

Argos maintained its civic coinage well into the imperial period largely on civic pride rather than economic necessity — Roman provincial bronzes from the Peloponnese circulated within tightly local networks, rarely traveling far from the issuing city. Under Hadrian, Argos had particular reason to honor the emperor: he visited the city during his tour of Greece, and his philhellenic program directed genuine imperial patronage toward old Peloponnesian centers that had long since faded from political relevance. The reference III#353 places this among a well-documented but thinly populated series.