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Tetradrachm - Hadrianus L ΔEKATOY, Alexandria
| Issuer | Alexandria Mint (Roman Provincial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 125-126 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Hadrian facing right, rendered in the Alexandrian provincial style with finely detailed hair beneath the laurel wreath. The paludamentum is visible over the left shoulder, and the cuirass is depicted with characteristic military detail. The Greek imperial legend encircles the effigy along the periphery of the flan. The portrait exhibits the bearded likeness of Hadrian, consistent with his mature coinage issued from the Alexandria mint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Year 10 of Hadrian's reign corresponds to 125/126 AD, a moment when the emperor was deep into his celebrated tour of the eastern provinces. He had visited Egypt in 130 AD — but the groundwork of administrative attention that made Alexandria's mint so productive during his reign began years earlier. The Alexandrian tetradrachm series under Hadrian is extensive, and die links across regnal years have been documented by scholars working from the RPC Online corpus, making this a coin type that rewards close comparative study.
The billon content of "silver" Alexandrian tetradrachms by this period was already degraded well below classical standards — typically around 20–25% fine silver — a debasement that had been progressive since the Julio-Claudian era.