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Aureus - Hadrian P M TR P COS III, Janus
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 121-123 |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A standing draped female figure, identified as Janus or a related deity in some references but more precisely interpreted as a standing personification — possibly Pietas or a similar virtue — occupies the central field, facing left and holding a long vertical sceptre or hasta in her right hand while her left arm is gathered at her side with drapery falling in classical folds. The figure stands on a base line, rendered in fine relief against a lightly striated field. The surrounding Latin legend P M TR P COS III is distributed around the periphery, separated by the figure. The beaded border frames the entire reverse design consistently with the obverse. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian's early coinage is heavily tied to his efforts to stabilize a succession that was, at best, legally murky — Trajan's adoption of him was announced only after Trajan's death, almost certainly orchestrated by the empress Plotina. The appearance of Janus on aurei from this precise tribunician window likely reflects Hadrian's calculated emphasis on beginnings, transitions, and open roads rather than conquest — a pointed departure from Trajan's relentlessly military output.
The COS III dating anchors this piece to Hadrian's third consulship, held without renewal after 119 AD, making it a fixed chronological marker within an otherwise complex early reign sequence.