EGYPT. Alexandria. Hadrian, 117-138. Obol (Bronze, 20 mm, 4.89 g, 11 h), Heliopolite Nome, RY 11 = 126/7. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ CЄΒ Laureate head of Hadrian to right, with slight drapery on his left shoulder. Rev. ΗΛΙΟΠΟΛ L IA Helios standing front, head to left, holding Mnevis bull in his right hand and whip in his left. Dattari (Savio) 6246. Emmett 1234.11. K&G N14.1. RPC III 6487. Very rare. Somewhat smoothed, otherwise, very fine.


This coin forms part of the 'nome coinage', struck under several emperors starting from Domitian and ending with Antoninus Pius. The division of Egypt into nomes (smaller districts) had its roots in the pharaonic administration, but continued to be used in the Graeco-Roman period. On the reverse of the obols struck by Hadrian (probably for the emperor's decennalia), the respective nomes are identified through the legend and a local deity is depicted. This coin was struck for the Heliopolite nome, so named for its capital Heliopolis, which housed the temples of the solar deities Atum and Ra-Harakhte, identified by the Greeks as Helios. The god is shown holding the Mnevis bull, his sacred animal, which was worshiped in a similar manner as the Apis bull of Memphis. Another animal connected to Heliopolis was the phoenix, which, according to legend, flew to Heliopolis upon his birth from his homeland of Arabia every five hundred years, carrying the remains of his father to the temple of Ra, so that he could be buried in the sacred catacombs.