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AR24 - Hadrian L Β
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-118 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 24 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of the emperor Hadrian facing right, with drapery visible on the left shoulder. The effigy is rendered in the characteristic Alexandrian provincial style, with bold relief typical of early Hadrianic tetradrachms. The Greek imperial legend encircles the bust, reading ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙϹ ΤΡΑΙΝΟϹ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ, the erroneous inclusion of ΤΡΑΙΝΟϹ reflecting the transitional titulature used at the very outset of his reign. The dotted border frames the design around the coin's irregular flan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Year two of Hadrian's reign in Alexandria corresponds to one of the most politically charged transitions in Roman imperial history. Trajan died in August 117 AD without a formally announced heir, and Hadrian's accession — announced by Trajan's wife Plotina under circumstances widely suspected as fraudulent — was immediately contested in Rome. Egypt, however, fell quickly into line; the Alexandria mint resumed dated regal coinage under the new emperor within weeks, making these early Hadrianic tetradrachms among the first physical declarations of his legitimacy anywhere in the empire.