Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Hadrian

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

134-138

Roman

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Emperor Hadrian, facing to the right. On the back (reverse), the personification of Egypt is seated, holding a sistrum (a type of musical instrument), and facing an ibis. Egypt was the richest province of the Roman Empire and an important source of grain. The sistrum was an emblem of Egypt and used by priests of Isis in religious ceremonies.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Roman
Title: Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Hadrian
Place: Roman Empire (Minted in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 134 CE–138 CE
Medium: Silver
Inscriptions: Obverse: HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP Reverse: AEGYPTOS
Dimensions: Diam.: 1.8 cm (3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of William F. Dunham
Reference Number: 1920.3049
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/142977/manifest.json

William F. Dunham (1857-1936), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1920.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.