HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P, laureate head right / COS III S-C, Salus standing, head right, feeding snake held in arms from patera. 26mm, 10.29 grams. Rome mint. RIC 669.

Hadrian (r. 117–138 CE) was one of Rome’s most capable and cultured emperors, known for consolidating rather than expanding the empire. A member of the Five Good Emperors, he focused on stabilizing frontiers, most famously constructing Hadrian’s Wall in Britain. He traveled extensively across the provinces, reorganizing administration, supporting cities, and promoting Hellenic culture. His reign produced remarkable architecture, including the Pantheon’s reconstruction and his villa at Tivoli. Hadrian’s later years were troubled by the Bar Kokhba Revolt in Judea, but he left behind a more orderly and cosmopolitan empire.