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Dupondius - Hadrian COS III (III occasionally in exergue) S C, Pegasus
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
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| Year | 124-125 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Radiate bust of Emperor Hadrian facing right, with short beard and draped paludamentum visible at the shoulder truncation, rendered in confident late Trajanic-Hadrianic portraiture style. The emperor is depicted with his characteristic close-cropped curled hair surmounted by the radiate crown of seven pointed spikes, distinguishing the dupondius denomination from the as. The encircling Latin legend reads HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS around the periphery, with a beaded border framing the design. The portrait exhibits strong, naturalistic modelling of the facial features, consistent with the official Hadrianic coin portrait type established following his accession in AD 117. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian's third consulship, held from 119 AD, provided the dating formula used on this issue, though the coins themselves were struck several years into that tenure. The Pegasus type belongs to a broader program of "zodiac" and mythological bronzes issued under Hadrian that numismatists have long associated with his well-documented personal interest in astrology and Greek philosophy — the winged horse carried specific Bellerophon associations in the Greek east that would have appealed directly to his philhellenic sensibility.
The COS III exergue placement noted in RIC II.3 #746 is an occasional die variant, not a consistent feature of the issue.