Denarius - Hadrian P M TR P COS III

Hadrian's early coinage as sole emperor reflects a deliberate break from Trajanic military propaganda — where Trajan had celebrated conquest, Hadrian almost immediately abandoned his predecessor's Mesopotamian gains and pulled the eastern frontier back to the Euphrates. The COS III issues of 121–123 coincide precisely with Hadrian's first great journey, during which he personally inspected the Rhine and Danubian frontiers, a circuit that would eventually take him to Britain and prompt construction of his northern wall.

RIC II.3 529 is part of the comprehensive 2007 revision of Roman Imperial Coinage that substantially reorganized Hadrianic issues; collectors working from the older RIC II Mattingly-Sydenham numbering will need to cross-reference carefully.