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Sestertius - Hadrian ADVENTVI AVG AFRICAE S C, Africa
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 130-133 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 25 g |
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of Emperor Hadrian to the right, his right hand raised in adlocutio gesture and his left hand holding a volumen (scroll), faces the personification of Africa standing to the left. Africa is distinguished by her characteristic elephant-scalp headdress and holds a patera in her right hand and corn ears in her left, alluding to the province's agricultural wealth. Between the two figures stands an altar, with a bull typically depicted at its base, evoking the sacrificial rites of the adventus ceremony. The exergue is plain, with the senatorial authorisation mark S C (Senatus Consulto) prominently placed in the field. The reverse legend ADVENTVI AVG AFRICAE encircles the composition, commemorating Hadrian's celebrated visit to the African provinces. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The ADVENTVS series of sestertii, struck under Hadrian from around 130–133, commemorates his extensive provincial tours — among the most ambitious undertaken by any emperor. His visit to Africa, likely in 128, coincided with a rare rainfall that reportedly broke a prolonged drought, an event Hadrian was credited with by the provincials and which the Roman administration was happy to encourage as divine favor. The Africa type belongs to a broader programmatic issue celebrating arrivals in Greece, Britain, Egypt, and elsewhere, each province rendered with identifying attributes.