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Sestertius - Hadrian RESTITVTORI BITHYNIAE S C, Bithynia
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 130-133 |
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| Value | 1 Sestertius = 1/4 Denarius |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of Hadrian to the right, clad in military attire, extending his right hand to raise the kneeling personification of Bithynia, who holds an acrostolium (ship's prow ornament) and rests one foot upon the prow of a vessel, symbolizing the province's maritime character. Hadrian holds a scroll in his left hand, emblematic of imperial benefaction and administrative reform. The composition reflects the standard Hadrianic 'Restitutor' type, celebrating the emperor's role as benefactor and restorer of the province. The exergue is plain, with the senatorial authority mark S C (Senatus Consultum) prominently placed in the field. |
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| Reverse lettering | RESTITVTORI BITHYNIAE S C (Translation: Restitutori Bithyniae. Senatus Consultum. To the restorer of Bithynia. Decree of the senate.) |
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| Additional information |
The "Restitutor" series issued under Hadrian commemorates his extraordinary tour of the provinces between 121 and 132 AD — one of the most ambitious imperial inspection campaigns in Roman history. Bithynia, a senatorial province on the southern shore of the Black Sea, had endured chronic administrative mismanagement severe enough that Trajan had dispatched Pliny the Younger there decades earlier as a special corrective legate. Hadrian's visit reinforced Rome's renewed attention to provincial governance, and the restitutor coinage was struck to broadcast that attention in bronze across the empire's markets.