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AR24 - Hadrian L Β
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-118 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Sarapis facing right, the deity adorned with a kalathos (modius) atop the head and a laurel wreath, consistent with his syncretic Greco-Egyptian iconography as worshipped at Alexandria. The rendering reflects the standard Alexandrian treatment of the Sarapic bust type under the early Hadrianic period. The regnal date legend L Β appears prominently in the field, indicating Year 2 of Hadrian's reign. The reverse composition is spare, focusing attention on the divine portrait. |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian's first regnal year in Alexandria — LB, year two by Egyptian reckoning — falls immediately within the succession crisis following Trajan's death in August 117. Hadrian was in Syria when he received news of his adoption, and questions about the legitimacy of that adoption dogged the early reign. The Alexandrian mint, operating on its own closed currency system, moved quickly to produce silver tetradrachms acknowledging the new emperor, partly as a practical administrative signal to Egypt's monetized economy that the transfer of power was settled.