Hadrian, 117-138, Denarius

Hadrian, Denarius, AR, Rome mint, AD 117–138; 3.15 g, 18 mm. Laureate head of Hadrian right with legend HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS. Reverse legend FORTVNA AVG; Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia. Struck at Rome on the standard denarius flan of the period; weight within the normal range for the issue. RIC II.3 (Hadrian) 2334–2336.

Fortuna types under Hadrian emphasized the emperor’s program of stability and prosperity after the expansive Trajanic era. The rudder and cornucopia symbolized guidance of the state and the provision of abundance, messaging aligned with Hadrian’s consolidation of frontiers and administrative reforms. Issued at Rome, these denarii broadcast imperial ideology throughout the empire in a compact, widely circulating medium.