Hadrian AD 117-138 Silver Denarius, SALVS

Hadrian was the cousin of Trajan with whom he had a rocky love-hate relationship. However, his relationship with Trajan turned out to be less consequential to his own rise to becoming emperor. It is widely thought that Trajan himself never actually selected Hadrian as his successor but his powerful aunt, who was very fond of Hadrian and took the role of surrogate mother, forged documents to the effect when Trajan was on his deathbed. Hadrian is remembered chiefly by his active role in the military, by the prolific building of all sorts of city and military improvements, by being a shrewd economic strategist as well as for his infamous homosexual relationship with a boy named Antinous.