Hadrian, Augustus und die eleusinischen Mysterien

Abstract

Among Hadrian's silver pieces of cistophoric standard there is a disputed type: on the obverse the head of Augustus with the legend IMP CAESAR AVGVSTVS, on the reverse Hadrian in the toga holding a bundle of corn ears with the legend HADRIANVS AVG P P REN. Eckhel, Cohen and Pinder supplied renovavit and explained the pieces as restitution coins; Mattingly showed that to be impossible, since for a restoration the word would have been restituit, and Hadrian would not have had his own image placed on the reverse. His correct supplement renatus, however, belongs not to his own explanation but to the language of the mystery cults, as the sheaf of Demeter also indicates: Hadrian was initiated at Eleusis in 125 and received the higher grades in 129.

This summary was produced automatically from the digitised full text and has not been checked by the editors.

Suggested citation

Kienast, Dietmar: Hadrian, Augustus und die eleusinischen Mysterien. In: Jahrbuch für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte 10 (1959/60), pp. 61–69, Tf.2-3.

Subject tags