Sestertius of Hadrian
117–138 ・ bronze ・ 2nd century ・ Rome (found in Britain)
A bronze sestertius of the emperor Hadrian, come up out of British soil. Worn by 1,900 years and wearing a patina, it still shows the emperor's bust on the face. In this reign there appeared on the coinage for the first time the personification of the province, seated on a rock with shield and spear — Britannia. The image was revived in 1672 on the copper of Charles II, and went on being the face of British money into the 20th century. What Rome gave as a likeness, the British Empire made into a self-portrait.