Aureus - Hadrian P M TR P COS II FORT RED, Fortuna

Struck in 117 AD, the year Hadrian assumed power following Trajan's death in Cilicia under circumstances that remained politically murky for decades — his adoption by Trajan was announced only after the emperor had already died, with Trajan's wife Plotina managing the succession announcement. The COS II dating places this issue within Hadrian's second consulship, meaning it belongs to the very opening months of his reign, before the administrative consolidations that would define his rule.

The FORT RED — Fortuna Redux — type carried specific resonance in 117: Hadrian had abandoned Trajan's eastern conquests almost immediately, withdrawing from Mesopotamia and Armenia. A coin invoking the goddess of safe return was pointed imperial messaging.