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Sestertius - Hadrian PIETAS AVGVSTI S C, Pietas
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 121 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The personification of Pietas, veiled and draped, stands facing right before a lighted altar, extending her right hand over the flame in a gesture of offering while her left hand holds a box of incense (acerra). The figure is rendered in the classicising style characteristic of Hadrianic bronzes, with flowing garments and a dignified posture conveying religious devotion. The legend PIETAS AVGVSTI appears in the upper field, with the senatorial authority mark S C divided across the lower field flanking the central device. |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian's early PIETAS AVGVSTI coinage belongs to a deliberate program of religious and civic messaging launched shortly after his accession in 117 AD, partly to counter lingering suspicion over the circumstances of Trajan's death and the disputed adoption. The Senate had initially resisted Hadrian, and the emphasis on pietas — encompassing duty to gods, state, and predecessors — was pointed political language, not decoration.
RIC II.3 #473 falls within the Flavian-style orichalcum sestertius production at Rome, a mint that by this period had refined its large bronze casting to a consistency Trajan's workshops had not always achieved.