Italica in Hispania, 14-37 AD., Tiberius, As, RPC 65.
Italica in Hispania Baetica (today Santiponce (Sevilla)), Tiberius, 14-37 AD.,
As (ø 28-29 mm / 14,89 g), bronze, axis irregular alignment ↑↘ (ca. 140°),
Obv.: TI CAESAR AVGVSTVS PON MAX IMP , bare head of Tiberius right - Cabeza desnuda de Tiberio a derecha.
Rev.: MVNIC ITALIC PERM DIVI AVG , altar with front inscription [PR]OVIDE / [NT]IAE / [AVG]VSTI - Ara con leyenda.
RPC I, no. 65 (190 pieces listed) ; ACIP 3333 ; Burgos FAB (Abh) 1593 ; V. 168.9 ; SNG Cop. 417 ; SNG Tübingen 108-9 ; F. Chaves Tristan, Las monedas de Italica (2nd ed., 1978), 115 ff.
The city of Italica (north of modern day Santiponce, 9 km NW of Seville, Spain) was founded in 206 BC by the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in order to settle Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa, where the Carthaginian army was defeated during the Second Punic War. The name Italica bound the colonia to their Italian origins. At Augustus´and Tiberius´reign the city was already a municipium civium romanorum. Italica was the birthplace of Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Marcus Ulpius Trajan was born in the city in 53AD as was his successor, Aelius Hadrian in 76AD. Hadrian was generous to his home town, which he made a colonia. The city's Roman population at the time is estimated to have been only 80000.