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Denarius - Hadrian P M TR P COS III, Victory
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
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| Year | 120-121 |
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| Currency | Denarius, Reform of Augustus (27 BC – AD 215) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of Hadrian facing right, with the emperor's characteristic beard rendered in fine curled strands, visible from the front. The portrait is executed in the high-relief Trajanic-Hadrianic tradition, with strong facial features and a naturalistic treatment of the hair and paludamentum. The circular legend runs clockwise around the periphery within a beaded border. The effigy presents Hadrian in his imperial role, combining military and civic iconography through the laurel wreath and draped shoulder. |
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| Reverse lettering | P M TR P COS III (Translation: Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Consul Tertium. High priest, holder of tribunician power, consul for the third time.) |
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| Additional information |
Struck early in Hadrian's reign, this issue dates to a period when the emperor was consolidating legitimacy after the contested transition from Trajan — four senior senators had been executed almost immediately, an act Hadrian blamed on the Senate but which permanently colored relations with Rome's aristocracy. The COS III dating places it precisely within 120–121, before Hadrian departed on the first of his famous provincial tours.
Victory types were a deliberate choice in these years, tying Hadrian's image to martial prestige he had not personally earned on campaign.