Obverse of coin type (temp. №) 3948, depicting a bare-headed bust of Antoninus Pius wearing cuirass and paludamentum.
Antoninus was adopted by Hadrian early in 138 and became emperor on the 10th July 138. Still within the year 138 — after his successful struggle with the Senate for the deification of Hadrian — he incorporated his predecessor’s cognomen Hadrianus into his own name and adopted the title Pius, becoming Imperator Titus Aelius Caesar Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius. He died on 7th March 161.
His acclamation as imperator for the second time (IMP II) in 142 for the invasion of Scotland was the only such title he took. But, given the general impression of the absence of warfare during his reign, there is a surprising number of warlike types on the coinage.
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