From Art to Artifact:  Making Sense of Roman Coins

Nero’s sestertius represents a breakthrough in imperial coin design and aesthetics. Following Nero’s model, the emperor Hadrian exploited the obverse and reverse inscriptions to create a complete sentence more than half a century later.

Hadrian’s aureus from 121 CE identifies his constitutional titles on the obverse: IMP CAES HADRIANUS AUG COS III. The reverse inscription adds a verb phrase: ANN[UM] DCCCIXXIIII NAT[ALIS] URB[IS] P[OPULO] CIR[CENSIS] CON[STITUIT]. This coin, too, begs to be flipped over.

When read together the inscriptions actively commemorates a political action from Hadrian’s reign: “The Emperor Caesar Hadrian Augustus, as consul for the third time, 874 years after the founding of the City, decreed chariot races for the people.” Depicting the establishment of public entertainments, much like the closing of the Temple doors, proides a tangible commemoration of the emperor’s service to the Roman people to his legacy.

This aureus’ obverse shows the filleted head of Hadrian facing right. The reverse shows a divine figure, resembling a river god, reclining with two symbols of chariot races, a wheel and a spina, or turning post.