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Sestertius - Hadrian // S C, Horus
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 130 |
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| Currency | Denarius, Reform of Augustus (27 BC – AD 215) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of the emperor Hadrian assimilated to the Egyptian god Horus, depicted facing right in a syncretic composition commemorating Hadrian's visit to Egypt in AD 130. The figure rests his right foot upon a recumbent crocodile, symbolic of the Nile and Egypt, while holding a spear in one hand and a parazonium (short sword) in the other. The senatorial authorization mark S C (Senatus Consultum) appears in the field, divided across the design. This reverse type is among the celebrated series of provincial-themed sestertii struck to mark Hadrian's travels throughout the empire. |
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| Additional information |
Hadrian's 130 AD journey through Egypt — the most extensively documented of his provincial tours — coincided with the drowning of his favourite Antinous in the Nile, an event that visibly destabilized the emperor and accelerated his already deep engagement with Egyptian religious culture. Coins incorporating Horus into the imperial iconography were part of a deliberate policy of presenting Hadrian as a pharaonic figure to Egyptian audiences, continuing a tradition of Roman emperors adopting local divine associations for political legitimacy in the province.
RIC II.3 1451 is among a cluster of Egyptian-themed sestertii attributed to the later part of Hadrian's reign, almost certainly struck at Rome rather than Alexandria.