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Aureus - Hadrian COS III, Sol
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 124-125 |
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| Value | 1 Aureus = 25 Denarii |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The sun god Sol, depicted nude and radiate with a crown of rays emanating from his head, stands erect in a quadriga — a four-horse chariot — driven at full gallop to the left. Sol extends one arm forward holding the reins, while the four horses are rendered in vigorous motion, their forelegs raised. The scene conveys dynamic energy characteristic of high Imperial Roman die-cutting. The abbreviated consular legend COS III is divided across the upper field and lower exergue, referencing Hadrian's third consulship. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Struck at Rome in the early 120s, this aureus falls within Hadrian's third and final consulship, held in 119 AD but referenced on coinage well into the following years as a mark of civic honor rather than active tenure. Hadrian's reign saw a deliberate shift away from Trajanic expansionism — the aureus coinage of this period often reflects that ideological reorientation, with solar and celestial imagery invoked to frame imperial authority in philosophical rather than military terms.
The RIC II.3 revision by Abdy and others significantly reorganized the Hadrianic series; pieces previously scattered across older references were re-sequenced, and this type's current numbering reflects that 2019 reassessment.