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Message:: [QUOTE="svessien, post: 7595516, member: 15481"][ATTACH=full]1308154[/ATTACH]Details from the Ara Pacis Adoption is a concept that we often come across as collectors of ancient Roman coins. Octavian was adopted by Caesar, Tiberius was adopted by Augustus, and after the Flavian dynasty, we get a line of adopted emperors for almost 100 years. So what was the practice of adoption like in these times? It seems to have been a quite common practice, at least among wealthy families, aiming for a suitable Pater Familias to take over for a present one of older age. As death in childhood was a far more common occurrence than in our days - both grandsons of Augustus; Gaius and Lucius died early for example - a noble family could find themselves in a situation where there was no heir to head the family. Adopting a young man of good quality would in this case be a viable solution among equestrian and noble families. It is however unclear wether this practice was common among the lower classes. In order to uphold status as a "noble" or "equestrian" family, the Romans had a required minimum net worth of 1000 000 sestertii for senators and 400 000 sestertii for the equestrian class. A family that had many sons coming of age, would in some cases be hard pressed to uphold the status for all their sons. Adopting one or many of them away to another family, would then be a way to secure the status of their children in the future. This way, the noble families with few heirs could be supplied with young men of quality from families with a surplus of heirs. It appears to have been few or no stigma connected to this practice. A non-citizen could not be adopted, however. A slave could not either be adopted, but could be freed and become a Roman citizen, and then be adopted. Under the Roman laws of adoption there were two options: 1) the man or boy being adopted was alieni iuris, that is, still under the control of a pater familias, the patriarch or head of a family, or2) he had become the head of the family himself (sui iuris) by the death of the former patriarch. In the first scenario, the man/boy would enter the new family, bringing nothing with him from his old family. This included his children, if he had any. He would simply go from being controlled by his old Pater Families, to his new one, and likely inherit this position upon the death of his new Pater Familias. This was called adoption. In the second case, the adoptee had already become Pater Familias of his original family. When adopted to a new family, his old family would seize to exist, and all family members, wealth, land (and probably debt) would fusion with the new family. This process was called adrogation. Public permission by the Senate was required for adrogation. Finally, what did motivate me to write this post? Well, there is a certain coin that I have been looking for for years now, that has finally come into my hands, namely this issue: [ATTACH=full]1308153[/ATTACH]RIC 3b. Denarius. Struck AD 117. Obverse: IMP CAES TRAIAN HADRIAN OPT AVG GER DAC, laureate head right with slight drapery on the left shoulderReverse: PARTHIC DIVI TRAIAN AVG F P M TR P COS P P, ADOPTIO below, Trajan, holding scroll, and Hadrian standing right and left clasping hands. "ADOPTIO" This is a coin with a reverse that is considered to be very political, if not outright propaganda. Hadrians succession of Trajan was not without dispute. Plotina, Trajans widow, stood by Hadrian in claiming that he had been legitimately adopted by the dying emperor. There were however rumours of false play; that Plotina had "slipped a servant into Trajans deathbed to impersonate the emperor and make the announcement after the real Trajan had passed away." (Potter p. 86). Some of Trajans old generals were fanning the flames of these rumours, and were suspected to conspire against the new emperors household. Within few months, four of them were executed. The new emperor had made it clear that dissent would be struck down upon. The issue of this denarius, both with and without the ADOPTIO inscription, was one of the ways that Hadrian would legitimise his succession, and establish a 21 year long reign as one of Romes most successful emperors. Please share your coins of adoptees, or early coins of Hadrian![/QUOTE]

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