Year 16 of Hadrian's reign coincided with his second extended visit to Egypt — a tour that began in 130 AD and became overshadowed by the drowning of his companion Antinous in the Nile. Alexandria's mint was unusually productive during these years, issuing a wide range of bronze denominations that tracked the regnal year precisely through the dating formula. The L ΙϚ notation places this coin firmly in that charged period.
Alexandrian bronzes of this type are frequently found with uneven surfaces owing to the city's distinctive clay-mold casting preparation rather than the direct hub-and-die methods common elsewhere in the empire.
Year 16 of Hadrian's reign coincided with his second extended visit to Egypt — a tour that began in 130 AD and became overshadowed by the drowning of his companion Antinous in the Nile. Alexandria's mint was unusually productive during these years, issuing a wide range of bronze denominations that tracked the regnal year precisely through the dating formula. The L ΙϚ notation places this coin firmly in that charged period.
Alexandrian bronzes of this type are frequently found with uneven surfaces owing to the city's distinctive clay-mold casting preparation rather than the direct hub-and-die methods common elsewhere in the empire.