Hadrian (AD 117-138). AR denarius (20mm, 3.28 gm, 5h). NGC (photo-certificate) AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome, ca. AD 124-125. HADRIANVS-AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Hadrian right / CO-S-III, Roma standing facing, helmeted head left, Victory right on globe in right hand, reversed spear in left. RIC II.3, 722. Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born in AD 76, the son of a distinguished Spanish senator and related through his mother to the future Emperor Trajan, who took him into his household when Hadrian was nine years old. After Trajan's accession, Hadrian held a series of civilian posts, including a consulship in AD 108, and commanded legions during the Dacian and Parthian wars. Hadrian was not formally adopted until Trajan lay on his deathbed in August, AD 117; after succeeding to the throne, Hadrian abandoned many of Trajan's over-ambitious conquests and engaged in a policy of peace abroad and reform at home. He spent most of his 21-year reign traveling, visiting every province of the Roman Empire. Under his patronage, Roman art and sculpture reached its creative peak. Hadrian came to see himself as a "second Augustus," providing the empire with a new foundation as a vast commonwealth of nations under Rome's guiding hand. HID09801242017 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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