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Æ26 - Hadrian ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ
| Issuer | Argos (Achaea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-138 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Heracles, depicted nude and muscular, is shown in dynamic composition strangling the Nemean lion, the beast rearing to the right as the hero subdues it with his powerful grip. The scene references the First Labour of Heracles, a mythological theme particularly resonant for Argos, the city closely associated with the hero's cult. The ethnic legend ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ appears in the field, identifying this as a civic issue of the Argives. The style is consistent with provincial bronze coinage of the Hadrianic period. |
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| Additional information |
Argos was one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Greece, and its civic bronze issues under Hadrian reflect the emperor's well-documented philhellenism — he visited the city during his Greek tours and was deeply invested in restoring Hellenic civic prestige. The Argives had particular reason to court imperial favor: their city had suffered badly under Roman reprisals following the Achaean War of 146 BC, and the recovery of civic coinage rights centuries later carried real political weight.
The reference to Sear III#344 places this among a small, reasonably well-catalogued group of Hadrianic provincials from the northeastern Peloponnese.