Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ As (25.5 mm, 11.3 g). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 124-128. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS. Laureate bust right, slight drapery. COS III S-C. Janus standing facing, looking in three directions, holding scepter and resting hand on hip. RIC 662. VF, green patina. Janus was the god of beginnings and endings, looking both to the past and the future. For that reason the month of January was named after him. While common on Roman Republican coinage, he is only rarely depicted on Roman Imperial coins. |