Description:
This ancient silver denarius coin was minted in Rome during the rule of Hadrian, who was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. The obverse side features the laureate head of Hadrian with the with the Latin legend HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS “Hadrian Augustus.” Hadrian is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman territory in Britain. A significant portion of the wall still exists today and is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and almost two thousand years later its dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
During his reign, Hadrian traveled to nearly every province of the empire ordering the construction of libraries, aqueducts, baths and theaters. He spent extensive amounts of his time with the military; he usually wore military attire and even dined and slept amongst the soldiers. Hadrian was known as an intellectual and a patron of the arts. He is considered by many historians to have been a wise and just ruler, one of the finest of all Roman Emperors.
The reverse side of this denarius shows the emblems of the Roman augurate and pontificate priests: from left to right, Simpulum, Aspergillum, Capis, Lituus. The silver denarius coin was introduced in 211 BC. It became the principal denomination in the Roman world until the middle of the third century AD and one denarius was around two days' pay for a Legionnaire.
