AR25 - Hadrian L ΕΝΔΕΚΑΤΟΥ

Year eleven of Hadrian's reign coincided with his extended tour of the eastern provinces — he arrived in Egypt in late 126 AD, the first reigning emperor to visit since Augustus. The Alexandrian mint, which operated under a separate monetary system from the rest of the empire, issued tetradrachms by regnal year rather than consular date, a practice that makes precise attribution to this issue straightforward. Alexandrian silver of this period is billon in practice despite catalog designations; the silver content had been declining since Nero's debasement of the late 60s AD.