The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Hadrian, 117 – 138
Aureus 134-138, AV 7.38 g. HADRIANVS – AVG COS III P P Bare head r. Rev. Hadrian advancing r. ahead of three soldiers carrying standards; in exergue, DISCIPLINA / AVG. Catálogo de la colección de monedas y medallas de Manuel Vidal Quadras Y Ramón de Barcelona, Barcelona 1892 (reprinted in 1975), vol. I, p. 254, n. 3396 (this coin). C 540. BMC 602. RIC 232. Bourgey & Desnier p. 67, 200 (this coin). Calicó 1251a (this coin, Hadrian misdescribed as veiled on reverse).
Very rare. A bold portrait and a finely detailed reverse composition, a
scratch on reverse, otherwise about extremely fine
Provenance
Clarence Sweet Bement (1843-1923) Collection sold by Lucien Naville, auction VIII, Lucerne, 25 June 1924, lot 887.
Victor Adda (1885-1965) Collection, sold by Christie, Manson & Woods Ltd., London, auction 9 October 1984, lot 34.
Bruce Hausman Collection, both purchased from and sold to Arnold Saslow.
Robert O. Ebert (1927-2008) Collection sold by Stack’s, auction, New York, 11 January 2013, lot 5032.

This remarkable aureus of Hadrian, which celebrates 'the discipline of the emperor,' reveals an often underappreciated side of this emperor's personality – a strong belief in disciplina militaris. Dio Cassius (68.9) and the author(s) of the Historia Augusta (Hadrian 10.2-11.1) both comment on Hadrian's belief that the army should be run strictly, frugally and efficiently. The latter gives the impression that Hadrian was a stickler for details, and that he often scrutinised military documents.
They further note that he led by example, sharing in the privations of the common soldier by eating the same food, by living simply when in their presence, and often by marching twenty miles per day in full armour to provide a good example. The Historia Augusta suggests he did this to imitate the behaviour of, among others, his adoptive father Trajan. Hadrian insisted that even when soldiers were not on actual service they participate in rigorous training drills, which he sometimes led personally.
This paints a picture quite unlike the usual view of Hadrian as a thoroughly indulgent emperor who was distracted by the arts, toured his empire in high style, was infatuated with many aspects of Greek culture, and spared no expense in the construction of his palatial Villa in Tivoli.
The concept of discipline was well-suited to the lifestyle of Roman soldiers, who sometimes worshipped the minor divinity Disciplina. The archaeological record shows that Hadrian strongly promoted her virtues (which included frugality, sternness and faithfulness) among the legions in Britain and North Africa. Her cult must have been well-established among the soldiers stationed along Hadrian's Wall, for the cavalry fort of Cilumum at the River Tyne was dedicated to the goddess. Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius, also was attentive to these ideals, and he issued sestertii (RIC 604 and 769) which replicate this original composition of Hadrian.