Sestertius - Hadrian P M TR P COS III EXPED AVG S C

The EXPED AVG ("imperial expedition") reverse type on Hadrian's sestertii almost certainly commemorates his departure from Rome in 121 AD on the first of his famous provincial tours — journeys that would consume roughly twelve of his twenty-one years as emperor. Unlike his predecessors, Hadrian abandoned the desk-bound model of imperial administration and traveled personally to inspect troops, reform provincial governance, and — in Britain — commission the wall that still bears his name. The expedition coinage was likely struck to legitimize and publicize that departure to a Roman public accustomed to emperors who stayed put.