Hadrian, 117-138. Aureus (Gold, 20 mm, 7.39 g, 6 h), Rome, circa 125-126. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS Laureate head of Hadrian to right, with slight drapery on his left shoulder.
Rev. COS III Hadrian on horseback to right, raising his right hand in salute and holding the reins with his left. BMC 430. Calicó 1215a. Cohen 406 var. (no drapery). RIC 781. An attractive example with an excellent portrait struck in high relief. Two minor edge cracks
, otherwise, about extremely fine.
From the collection of Dipl.-Ing. Adrian Lang, privately acquired from Classical Numismatic Group on 13 January 2011, inv. no. 88314 and ex Gorny & Mosch 190, 11 October 2010, 489.
A joyous moment in any emperor's reign was his
adventus (literally 'arrival') in Rome or the other cities of the empire, either at his accession or after a prolonged period of absence, mostly related to military campaigns. In the case of Hadrian, his absence involved his grand tour of the empire. After visiting the western provinces and Asia Minor, the emperor returned to Rome in 125, where he probably handed out a liberality to the populace, and coins were struck to mark the occasion. Typically, coins celebrating an
adventus show the emperor on horseback raising his arm in salute, as is the case on the present piece.
