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Dupondius or As - Hadrian SICILIA S C, Charybdis
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 130-133 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Charybdis personified as a frontal Gorgoneion-like mask with wild, flowing hair and an open, threatening visage, set within a triskeles composition — three human legs radiating from the central face, each bent at the knee and arranged in rotational symmetry, evoking the ancient symbol of Sicily. The legend SICILIA is inscribed to the upper left of the field, with S C (Senatus Consultum) to the upper right, authorizing the bronze coinage. This type belongs to Hadrian's celebrated 'travel' or 'provincial' series commemorating the regions of the Roman world. |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to Hadrian's remarkable "travel series," struck to commemorate his extensive tours of the provinces between roughly 128 and 134 AD. The SICILIA type specifically references his visit to Sicily, almost certainly including an ascent of Mount Etna — ancient sources record that Hadrian climbed the volcano to observe the sunrise. Charybdis, the legendary whirlpool monster of the Strait of Messina, was a fixture of Sicilian mythological geography and a natural choice for a coin meant to evoke the island's identity to a Roman audience.
RIC II.3 1695 is among the scarcer provincial personification types in the series.