Bare Head Hadrian

I recently acquired this silver denarius of Emperor Hadrian being bare head. The reverse shows a snake and an altar, also Salus standing right. The coin could be black toned and it weighs 3.44 g. I appreciate your comments.

 

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Great portrait. I also really like the toning on that coin. I am not a fan of shiny silver denarii.

 

I always had a thing for black toning on silvers.
Very nice coin!
Here is my only black toned coin.

 

Hadrian has more bare head portraits than most rulers. Yours and mine have the same obverse legend. Was there a time in his reign where he was playing down the regal nature of the job?

 

I have a bronze that is as black as night. It was very hard to image:

 

Good question, does any one know the answer to that?

 

The bare headed portrait is just an artistic decision. Bare, laureate, and aegis portraits are struck concurrently with the same reverse types.

 

Nice coin Charles - super portrait, great depiction of Salus with a nice long snake, and lovely tone to the silver. I also prefer darker ancient silver.

 

I wondered sometimes if the Romans knew how to use the poison of the snakes for medical purposes?..

 

Yes. They were well aware of the coagulating effect of small portions of venom. It was a cure used on battlefields. They also dipped arrows in snake venom, one of the earliest biological weapons. That is why snakes become symbols of both protection and healing in the ancient world.

 

Nice OP coin, Charles ... congrats

I don't have any bare headed Hadrian examples (*sigh*)

 

Terrific coins one and all.

My sole denarius of the bareheaded Hadrian is a 'shiny' silver type with a Salus reverse---although I have a fondness for the toned types too.