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Aureus - Hadrian P M TR P COS III LIB PVB, Libertas
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 120-121 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Bare-shouldered, laureate bust of Hadrian facing right, rendered in fine high relief with curling hair and a neatly bound laurel wreath. The portrait displays the characteristic Hadrianic style with a short beard and strong facial features. The obverse legend encircles the bust in a continuous band around the coin's periphery, reading IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG in incuse Latin capitals. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG (Translation: Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus. Supreme commander (Imperator), Caesar, Trajan Hadrian, emperor (Augustus).) |
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| Additional information |
The "Libertas" aurei of Hadrian's early sole reign belong to a broader programmatic issue advertising his liberalitas — specifically the remission of outstanding tax debts owed to the imperial fiscus, a gesture he made upon his accession in 117 AD and again commemorated in coin. Ancient sources, including the Historia Augusta, record that Hadrian ordered the debt records publicly burned in the Forum of Trajan, canceling arrears totaling some 900 million sesterces.
RIC II.3 #360 falls within the third consulship dating, pinning it to 119–121 and placing it among the earliest consolidated mint output after Hadrian's return to Rome from the provinces.