Hadrian / Britannia 117-138 AD, Roman Imperial Sestertius

Description

Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus, r. AD 117 – 138) was one of the ‘Five Good Emperors‘ of the Roman Empire

Early Life & Rise

• Born 76 AD in Italica (near modern Seville, Spain), a Romanized provincial of senatorial rank.

• Cousin and protégé of Emperor Trajan; after distinguished military and administrative posts, he was adopted by the ailing Trajan and named his successor moments before Trajan’s death.

Reign Highlights

Strategic Consolidation

• • Abandoned Trajan’s over-extended conquests east of the Euphrates, stabilizing the imperial frontier.

  • Systematically toured the provinces—an unprecedented 20-year circuit—to inspect legions, audit finances, and promote loyalty.

Monumental Architecture

• Commissioned Hadrian’s Wall (c. 122 AD) spanning 73 miles across northern Britain, defining the empire’s limit.
• Rebuilt the fire-damaged Pantheon in Rome with its revolutionary domed rotunda; created the sprawling Villa Adriana at Tivoli; initiated the massive Temple of Venus and Roma.

Hellenism & Culture

• • A passionate admirer of Greek art and philosophy, he styled himself a new Pericles, promoting Hellenic culture across the empire.

  • Founded cities (e.g., Hadrianopolis), endowed Athens with grand civic buildings, and chaired the Panhellenion league to celebrate Greek identity.

Legal & Administrative Reform

• Codified and professionalized the imperial bureaucracy; issued the Perpetual Edict, streamlining Roman law.
• Improved soldiers’ conditions and introduced merit-based promotion, boosting army morale.

Challenges & Conflict

• • Faced the fierce Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 AD) in Judaea; its suppression was brutal and led to the province’s renaming as Syria Palaestina.

  • Personal grief over the drowning of his companion Antinous (130 AD) inspired the widespread cult of Antinous, unique for a deified commoner.

Succession & Legacy

• With no surviving sons, Hadrian adopted Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus (Antoninus Pius) on the condition that he adopt Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, thereby ensuring a peaceful dynastic succession.

• Died at Baiae in 138 AD, leaving an empire internally secure, financially sound, and embellished with enduring landmarks.

• Remembered as a tireless traveler, enlightened patron of the arts, and pragmatic ruler who shifted Rome’s focus from expansion to consolidation, shaping the empire’s “golden century” that followed.

This museum-quality coin reproduction of Ancient Roman Coinage is an exact copy of the coin held in the British Museum (BMC 1723).

Coin Details:

Obverse: HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP, laureate head right
Reverse: BRITANNIA, Britannia seated slightly left, head facing and resting on the right hand; spear over left arm; foot on rocks; round shield to the right; SC in ex.

Diameter: 33 mm

Extremely rare.

Made in the USA
Packaged in a coin collecting flip with the description of the coin printed on the flip insert.