.* "the Emperor Cæsar Trajan Hadrian Augustus, High Pontiff, (exercising) the tribunitian power, Consul for the second time." The type of the reverse represents the Emperor setting fire with a torch to a heap of papers, the deeds of the cancelled debts; he is accompanied by three citizens who, with uplifted arms, applaud his conduct. This reverse has the interesting legend, RELIQVA VETERA⚫ HS. NOVIES MILL(ies) ABOLITA. HS. stands for Sestertium ;* so that the inscription reads, "the ancient debts of the state, amounting to nine millions of sestertii, abolished." In the exergum is the usual S.C., for Senatus Consulto, by decree of the Senate. The next specimen refers to the arrival of the Emperor Hadrian in Britain, where he landed just in time to prevent a dangerous revolt, and to cause the construction of the great northern wall, to prevent an impending incursion of the Caledonians. The obverse bears the laureated profile of Hadrian, with the chlamys buckled over his right shoulder, with HADRIANVS AVG(ustus) CO(n)S(ul) III. P(ater) P(atriæ): "Hadrian Augustus, Consul for the third time, father of the country." The type of the reverse is, the emperor adorned with a toga, and a majestic robed female on the right hand; this figure holds a patera over an altar, from which rises a flame; the victim at her side denotes the sacrifice made by the Britons as a token of their joy and happiness on the arrival of the Emperor Hadrian in their country. has the legend ADVENTVI· AVG(usti) BRITANNIAE: of the advent of Augustus in Britain." In the exergum is S(enatus) C(onsulto): "by decree of the Senate." This inscription bears reference to his arriving, as stated, just in time to quell a rebellion which had broken out. 66 It The following, and last specimen I shall describe, commemorates his residence in Alexandria, and is of as remarkably fine execution as any coin of Roman mintage of any period. The type of the obverse is a laurelled head of the emperor, with a benevolent expression, and in fine relief: it has the simple inscription HADRIANVS AVG(ustus) CO(n)s(ul) III.: "Hadrian Augustus, Consul for the third time." • For modes of writing Sestertii, to express different numbers, see Chapter on Roman values, types, &c. The reverse of this coin is very beautiful in design: a river god of colossal proportion, whose upper part is undraped, bears a reed in his left hand, and a cornucopiæ in his right; this hand is resting upon a sphynx accompanied by a small figure. He is surrounded by three children, one of whom is riding upon a white hippopotamus; in the foreground is a crocodile, with an aquatic plant. The urn, which always represents the source of a river in monetary types, is hidden, that of the Nile being unknown. This reverse has the word NILVS, "the Nile." In the exergum is s(enatus) C(onsulto): "by decree of the Senate." The coins of Hadrian are abundant in all sizes and metals, of Roman, of colonial, and of Imperial Greek mintage: the first bronze of the two latter classes are, however, somewhat rare. : The portrait of Sabina, the wife of Hadrian, is found upon coins of various metals and sizes, especially upon Roman large bronze the most sought are, those with the carpentum, or sacred funereal car-those with the consecration-and those of the apotheosis, on which latter a figure of Sabina is seen, borne to heaven between the wings of an eagle. The coins struck in honour of his favourite, Antinöus, and in honour of his infamous passion for the beautiful Bythinian, are sometimes very fine, though none of them are of Roman mintage, and an accomplished but fastidious numismatist says that they ought to be excluded from every collection. Coins of Elius, the adopted son of Hadrian, are by no means rare, and are found of several sizes and metals; but the gold and silver are more scarce. Captain Smith cites two specimens of first bronze; the reverse of one being a figure of Fortune, in allusion to his adoption by the Emperor, and the other a personification of the province he governed, Pannonia. ANTONINUS PIUS, FROM 138 TO 161 A.D. Titus Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Arrius was born at Lanuvium, in Latium, A. D. 86. He was adopted by Hadrian, whose name he took on the death of Ælius, and succeeded to the throne the same year, A. D. 138. After reigning twenty-three years, in almost continuous prosperity, he died of a fever, at Larium, in Etruria, in the year 161 A.D., at the age of 74. After his accession he assumed the names of Titus, Ælius, Hadrianus, and also Antoninus. His coins, of every class except the lesser bronze, are abundant and of very various types; from which the four following, of the large bronze series, are selected as fair examples. The first has, for the type of the obverse, an expressive laureated profile of Antoninus, with his neck bare and the inscription ANTONINVS AVG(ustus) PIVS. P(ater) P(atriæ) TR(ibunitia) P(otestate) CO(n)s(ul) III.: "Antoninus Augustus Pius, father of the country, (exercising) the tribunitian power, Consul for the third time." The reverse bears the simple head of the youthful Marcus Aurelius, with curly hair. This device is surrounded by AVRELIVS. CAESAR AVG(ustus) PII F(ilius) Co(n)s(ul): "Aurelius Cæsar, son of Pius Augustus, Consul." In the field is s(enatus) C(onsulto): "by decree of the Senate." This coin was struck to commemorate the adoption of Marcus Aurelius by Antoninus Pius. The next specimen refers to the pacification of Britain in this reign. The obverse bears a laureated head of the emperor, and has the inscription ANTONINVS · AVG(ustus) PIVS · P(ater) P(atriæ) TR(ibunitia) P(otestate) Co(n)s(ul) III. : "Antoninus Pius Augustus, father of the country, (exercising) the tribunitian power, Consul for the third time." The reverse has the inscription BRITANNIA, and the type is a martial figure, with attributes, in close resemblance to those of Mars, seated in repose upon a rock, as a symbol of trauquillity being restored: the right hand is holding a military standard, and the left, which rests on a shield, holds a spear. In the exergum is s(enatus) C(onsulto): "by decree of the Senate." This reverse is the origin of the figure of Britannia, adopted for the reverse of the English copper coinage in the reign of Charles II. The next and last specimen to be here described was struck after the deification of the emperor, and thus appro priately forms one of the last of his series. The obverse of this coin has a portrait of the deified emperor, with the hair cut close and without the laurel. It has DIVVS · ANTONINVS: "the god Antoninus." The type of the reverse is the celebrated Antonine column, constructed in imitation of that of Trajan, with a colossal statue of the Emperor on its summit. It has the legend DIVO. PIO, to the God Pius. In the field is S(enatus) C(onsulto): "by decree of the senate." The portraits of the Empress Faustina on the public coinage of this reign, are very abundant, though she died within three years after her husband's accession; for the abominable profligacy of her character did not prevent a servile senate from conferring divine honours upon her at the request of her husband. The most prized of the gold coins of Faustina are those with the legend PVELLAE FAVSTINIANAE, struck in commemoration of the establishment of an asylum for orphans named in her honour. Of the son of Faustina and Antoninus, who died in his infancy, there are no Latin coins, but the Greek mints issued a few bearing his portrait and the inscription M. FAAEPIOC ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟΣ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟΣ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΟΥ YIOC (Μ. Galerius Antoninus, son of the imperator Antoninus), the portrait being a beautifully executed infantine head. The reverse has a veiled head of his mother, with the inscription OEA ΦΑΥΣΤΙΝΑ : the Goddess Faustina." MARCUS AURELIUS AND LUCIUS VERUS, FROM Marcus Annius Verus, Catilius Severus, son of the Prætor Annius Verus, was adopted by Antoninus after the death of his own infant son, and assumed the name of Aurelius, at the suggestion of Hadrian, who also caused Antoninus at the same time to adopt Lucius Ceionius Commodus Verus, the son of Ælius Verus. Antoninus associated Marcus with himself in the administration of the empire; but perceiving the bad qualities of Lucius Verus, gave him no share in the government. When, however, Aurelius came to the throne, his sense of justice caused him to call his adopted brother, Lucius, to share with him the supreme power; and their joint rule is the finest example of the kind in the annals of the Roman Empire a fact frequently recorded, by various types, on coins both of Roman and Greek Imperial mintage Aurelius was married to Faustina, the younger daughter of Antoninus and Faustina, the elder, He died in the year 180 A.D., universally regretted as one of the best and most prosperous of the Roman emperors. Coins of Aurelius are abundant and inexpensive in all metals and forms, and the observation of Addison, that the coinage of a Roman emperor was, in fact, his digested annals, applies, perhaps, more especially to this reign than any other; for coins bearing the portrait of this emperor (struck under Antoninus Pius) exhibit him in infancy; those struck by the senate at his death exhibit his apotheosis; while almost every intermediate stage of his career is recorded upon various intermediate issues of the national money. The first specimen is a very characteristic one. The obverse bears a bearded and manly head of Aurelius, with the inscription, IMP(erator) CAES (ar) M(arcus) AVREL(ius) ANTONINVS. AVG(ustus) P(ontifex) M(aximus). "The Emperor Cæsar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Chief Pontiff (exercising) the tribunitian power." The type of the reverse, as before alluded to, is Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, facing each other, wearing the toga, and bare-headed. The likenesses are admirably preserved, though on so small a scale. These figures are taking each other by the right hand, in token of the concord with which the two emperors ruled the Roman world. It has the legend CONCORD(ia) AVG(ustorum) TR(ibunitia) P(otestate) XVI. "The concord of the Augustus's (exercising) the tribunitian power for the sixteenth time." This coin was probably struck to commemorate the visit which Marcus Aurelius paid to Lucius Verus at Canusium upon hearing that he had been taken ill. The other specimen I have selected for description is the finely executed sestertius (or first bronze, as it is now termed,) struck by the senate on occasion of his death and deification. The obverse bears a very expressive profile of the emperor without the laurel, the hair and beard carefully trimmed in curls, with DIVVS M(arcus) ANTONINVS PIVS: "the God Marcus Antoninus Pius." The type of the reverse represents Aurelius seated on the back of an eagle, carrying a thunderbolt in its talons, and flying towards the heavens. The emperor holds forth his right hand in the attitude of allocution, and in his left bears a sceptre. The word CONSECRATIO appears in the field |