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Aureus - Hadrian AFRICA, Africa
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 130-133 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | The personification of Africa reclines to the left, wearing an elephant-scalp headdress as her distinctive attribute. She holds a scorpion in her right hand and a cornucopia in her left, her left elbow resting upon rocks. A basket of corn or fruits appears to the left of the composition, symbolizing the province's renowned agricultural wealth. The reverse legend AFRICA appears in the field, identifying the allegorical figure in the manner characteristic of Hadrian's celebrated 'Provinces' series. |
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| Mintage | ND (130-133) |
| Additional information |
Hadrian's extensive provincial tour of Africa in 128 AD prompted a celebratory series of aurei personifying the empire's major regions, of which this is one. The African province was among Rome's most productive grain-supplying territories, and Hadrian's visit — the only confirmed imperial progress through the region during the High Empire — coincided with significant benefactions to local cities including Carthage.
RIC II.3 1493 is part of the broader "Provinces" emission dated to the early 130s, a campaign of types without parallel in the preceding principate for its geographic ambition.