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Aureus - Hadrian ANN DCCCLXXIIII NAT VRB P CIR CON, Genius
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 121 |
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| Value | 1 Aureus = 25 Denarii |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Hadrian facing right, depicted from the rear or side, with finely rendered paludamentum and armor visible. The imperial portrait conveys authoritative gravitas characteristic of Hadrianic coinage. The legend encircles the bust in a continuous arc around the coin's field. |
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| Reverse description | The Genius of the Circus is depicted reclining to the left with head turned to the right, holding a chariot wheel in one hand while the other arm rests upon three obelisks mounted on the spina of a hippodrome. The composition commemorates Hadrian's gift of circus games to the Roman people in the 874th year of the city's founding. The reverse legend, arranged around the field, records the occasion in abbreviated Latin. The scene reflects Hadrian's celebrated role as a public benefactor and his engagement with Roman civic traditions. |
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Struck to commemorate the 874th anniversary of Rome's founding — ANN DCCCLXXIIII being the year count from the traditional date of 753 BC — this aureus belongs to a focused issue Hadrian produced in 121 AD celebrating the Natalis Urbis, the birthday of the city. Hadrian had recently returned from reorganizing the Danubian frontier and was actively cultivating a image of Rome as an eternal, divinely sustained institution rather than a military machine.
The P CIR CON element references the circus games held as part of the anniversary festivities — public spectacles Hadrian funded personally at considerable expense.