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AR23 - Hadrian L Β
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-118 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Nilus facing right, the river god crowned with a taenia and lotus buds, a cornucopia resting at the shoulder — emblematic of the fertility and abundance of the Nile. The reverse type reflects the distinctly Alexandrian iconographic tradition of personifying the Nile as a beneficent deity. The regnal date L Β (Year 2, corresponding to 117–118 AD) appears in the field, a standard feature of Alexandrian imperial coinage. The overall style and execution are consistent with the early tetradrachm series struck under Hadrian at the Alexandria mint. |
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| Additional information |
This tetradrachm dates to Hadrian's first regnal year in Egypt — a moment of genuine administrative uncertainty. Trajan died in Cilicia in August 117, and Hadrian's adoption was announced posthumously, raising immediate questions about the succession's legitimacy. Egyptian coinage of this transitional year was struck on the Alexandrian billon standard, though early issues like this one retain unusually high silver content before the progressive debasement that would characterize later Hadrianic production. The Egyptian mint operated on a closed currency system; coins struck here could not legally circulate outside the province.