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Æ34 - Hadrian L ΙΗ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 133-134 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Hadrian facing right, seen from the rear, rendered in the Alexandrian provincial style. The paludamentum is visible over the left shoulder, and the cuirass is indicated at the lower truncation. A Greek legend encircles the bust, distributed on both sides of the field. The flan is irregular and shows areas of surface corrosion consistent with prolonged burial, though the portrait retains clear definition. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Year 18 of Hadrian's reign in Egypt — rendered as L ΙΗ in the regnal dating system Alexandria used on its civic coinage — corresponds to 133/134 AD, the period immediately following Hadrian's second visit to Egypt. He had toured the province in 130/131, during which his favorite Antinous drowned in the Nile, an event that prompted the deification of Antinous and the founding of the city Antinoöpolis. Alexandrian bronzes from the years just after that visit frequently reflect the religious and civic disruption the emperor's presence left behind.
The Alexandrian mint operated under tight Roman administrative control but retained its own dating system and iconographic vocabulary long after the Ptolemaic period. These large-module bronzes circulated locally; they were not legal tender outside Egypt.