RARE Silver Denarius of Hadrian
- Draglion
- Feb 28, 2018
- 2 min read
ROME, AD 136. RIC: 299.
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Hadrian facing right, HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P.
REVERSE: AFRICA, Africa reclining left, holding scorpion and cornucopiae, basket
of corn-ears at feet.
RIC: 299. Sear: 3459. DIAMETER: 19 mm. WEIGHT: 3.0 g.
A rare type from Hadrian's travel series depicting the personification.
About E.F with some surface deposits, a superb coin!
Hadrian was born Publius Aelius Hadrianus in either Italica (near modern Seville) in the province of Hispania Baetica or Rome, to a well-established Roman family with centuries-old roots in Italica. His biography in the Historia Augusta states that he was born in Rome on 24 January 76 to an ethnically Hispanic family with vague paternal links to Italy, though this may be a complimentary fiction coined to make Hadrian appear a natural-born Roman instead of a provincial whose parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were born and raised in Hispania. It was general knowledge that Hadrian and his predecessor Trajan were – in the words of Aurelius Victor – "aliens", people "from the outside" (advenae).
Hadrian's father was Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer, who as a senator of praetorian rank would have spent much of his time in Rome. Hadrian's known paternal ancestry can be partly linked to a family from Hadria (modern Atri), an ancient town in Picenum, Italy. This family had settled in Italica soon after its founding by Scipio Africanus several centuries before Hadrian's birth. Hadrian's father, Afer, and his paternal cousin, the Emperor Trajan, were both born and raised in Hispania. Hadrian's mother was Domitia Paulina, daughter of a distinguished Hispano-Roman senatorial family from Gades (Cádiz).
Hadrian's elder sister and only sibling was Aelia Domitia Paulina, married to Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus, who was consul three times. Hadrian also had a niece, Julia Serviana Paulina, and a great-nephew, Gnaeus Pedanius Fuscus Salinator, from Barcino (Barcelona).
In 86, when Hadrian was ten years old, his parents died, and he became a ward of both Trajan and Publius Acilius Attianus (who was later Trajan's Praetorian prefect). Hadrian was physically active, and enjoyed hunting; when he was 14, Trajan called him to Rome and arranged his further schooling in subjects appropriate to a young Roman aristocrat. Hadrian proved so fond of Greek literature that he was nicknamed Graeculus ("Greekling").
If you missed this beautiful coin of Hadrian,
You can find here the actual best auctions with best prices ever! Also you can check this link for bargain ROMAN REPUBLIC COINS, best r a r e items for reasonable prices.
Comments