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AR30 - Hadrian COS - III
| Issuer | Koinon of Bithynia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 117-138 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES TRA HADRIANO AVG P P |
| Reverse description | A tightly bound sheaf of six ears of grain (corn ears) occupies the central field, their heads fanning outward in a symmetrical arrangement above a bundled stalk tied at the base, symbolising agricultural abundance and prosperity. The composition is bold and uncluttered, with the sheaf rendered in high relief against a plain field. The legend COS III is divided on either side of the bundle, referencing Hadrian's third consulship, with a partial beaded border visible at the upper edge. |
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| Additional information |
The Koinon of Bithynia struck provincial silver with unusual autonomy for a Roman-era regional league, and issues bearing the COS III designation help anchor them to Hadrian's third consulship, held continuously from 119 AD onward. Bithynia had a complicated administrative history with Rome — Pliny the Younger's famous correspondence with Trajan about the province's finances and the Christians within it dates to just a decade before this coin's production began.
Provincial silver of this weight from the Bithynian koinon is considerably scarcer than the league's bronze output, which dominated day-to-day civic life.