Anonymous issues, time of Hadrian to Antoninus Pius, 117-161. Quadrans (Copper, 18 mm, 3.28 g, 6 h), Rome. Draped bust of Bacchus to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit . Rev. S C Elephant walking right. Cohen VIII, -. Kestner, Tesseren -. RIC II p. 219, 33. Extremely rare, one of a very few known examples. Slightly rough and with minor deposits, otherwise, very fine.


It is tempting to interpret the reverse of this extremely rare quadrans as referring to the animal hunts in the Colosseum, but the combination with Bacchus on the obverse suggests a Dionysian connection. As the conqueror of the East, Dionysos - known to the Romans as Bacchus - was often associated with the elephant, a symbol of India, a connection that had already been explored by Alexander and the Seleukids.