EGYPT. Alexandria. Hadrian, 117-138. Dichalkon (Bronze, 15 mm, 1.87 g, 12 h), Oxyrhinchite nome, RY 11 = 126/7. Laureate head of Hadrian to right, with slight drapery on his left shoulder. Rev. ΟΞΥΡ L IA Labrys. Dattari (Savio) 6339. Emmett 1283.11. K&G N38.5. RPC III online 6358.27 (this coin). Rare. Minor deposits, 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. The reverse of Hadrian’s dichalka (probably for the emperor's decennalia) identifies each respective nome through the legend and shows a symbol connected with the local cult.

In the case of the Oxyrhynchite nome, famed for the massive find of papyri there by Grenfell and Hunt in the late 19th-early 20th century, we see a labrys as the symbol of Athena-Thoeris (or Taweret). Thoeris is best known from her depiction in Egyptian art as a pregnant hippopotamus with the tail of a crocodile, the paws of a lion, and human hands and breasts. This fearsome appearance was meant to ward off evil, and Thoeris served as a protectress of mother and child during childbirth. The labrys, it seems, served to underline this apotropaic function.