Semi-OT musing about a bust of Hadrian in the British Museum

lordmarcovan · May 23, 2016 1:31AM

Michael/Aethelred recently sent me a copy of Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome, by Anthony Everitt, which I've been enjoying.

In the illustration section, there is a picture of a handsome portrait bust of Hadrian from the British Museum.

This is the bust, though the picture in the book shows it in profile against a black background.

I was struck with the familiarity of the face somehow, but couldn't figure out why it was so familiar to me.

Was it one of my brothers-in-law? No.

Then surely it must be some actor I've seen in a TV series or movie? Hmm. No.

Then I figured it out. I'd seen the face on the news.

Bashar Al Assad of Syria.

OK, maybe you don't see it here, particularly with these particular two pictures, but to me the profile of the Hadrian bust shown in the book and the facial characteristics of Assad were strikingly similar.

(Hadrian plus razor equals Assad?)

OK, maybe it's a stretch. It just struck me, that's all.

(No political observations, ancient or modern, are intended- just a facial comparison.)

Anyway, none of this is particularly pertinent to numismatics, so to bring this post closer to numismatic topicality, I'll post my Hadrian sestertius.

Post your Hadrian coins!

(Or Assad coins too, for that matter, though I don't know of any Syrian coins with Bashar's portrait- only those of his father.)

lordmarcovan · May 23, 2016 1:46AM

Here's a Hadrian denarius I bought from bronzemat a few years back. Though modest in grade, I liked it for the broad flan and the toning. It was a wholesome looking and quite affordable coin.

And here is the Hadrian denarius from my old 2007-08 Roman emperor collection, which I bought from Aethelred. It was one of my earliest purchases as a Roman coin collector. It too was pretty affordable.

By all means, post yours.

Say, where's Smeagle been lately? I'll bet he has an aureus. (Or if not, something similarly mindblowing.) I'll have to go revisit his collection site. (The sestertius I posted above came from him last year, and was originally in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.)

Edit- yep! I was right. Smeagle has a Hadrian Aureus.

What an incredible collection he has.

Andres · May 23, 2016 3:21AM

He took his wife Sabina along with him on his many boattrips all around his empire , so Hadrianus coins with a galley seems appropriate from this emperor.
The reason he wore a beard , a* he admired the old greeks , his nickname was the Greek , b* he had many wrats on his face, to cover that up he grew a beard.
2000 years ago he sailed the Limes / old Rhine in front of my house, on his way to England to build a wall

and rebuild the Matilo fort in stone , earlier build by Vespasianus in wood.
thats a mile away where I live, still exsist, although 10 yards under ground level.

Swampboy · May 23, 2016 3:36AM

ex Aethelred ex lordmarcovan

WillieBoyd2 · May 23, 2016 5:59AM

For some odd reason this little coin makes me think of Christmas:

Hadrian Roman Provincial Bronze Obol Deer

Obverse:
Laureate head right
AVT KAI - TRAI A?PIA CEB (Emperor Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus)

Reverse:
Deer standing right, head looking upward
L to left, IA to right (Regnal Year 11 - L=Year I=10 A=1)

Metal: Bronze
Size: 18mm
Weight: 4.98gm
Catalog: BMC 854, Milne 1235
Struck: AD 126-127 Alexandria Egypt

lordmarcovan · May 23, 2016 9:10AM

Hey, there's an old friend!

Thanks for posting that, Gil. After a few years I often forget who I sold certain coins to.

Looks better in the Swampboy pictures!

Aethelred · May 24, 2016 12:17AM

I actually remember that Hadrian Denarius!

I do not see the Assad connection, but from all I have read about Hadrian I believe he and Assad would have hit it off, especially later in Hadrian's life as he became more and more prone to just execute people who he saw as being in his way.

He was probably the worst of the so-called "good" emperors.

asheland · May 25, 2016 1:26AM

Great thread!

Semi-OT musing about a bust of Hadrian in the British Museum

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