Roma Aeterna - Vaillant observes that the Genius of Rome bears a Victory in her hand, as conquerer of the world, and that the peculiar epithet of Eternal as applied to Rome is one which Livy, Ammianus, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Symmachus severally employ, either in prediction of her perpetual domination, or for the purpose of distinguishing her from other cities.
ROMA AETERNA - this legend, with the type of Rome seated, supporting the heads of the Sun and the Moon appears for the first time on a rare gold coin of Hadrian, "under whom (says Vaillant) Rome was called Eternal, on account of the many things restored, and the various edifices constructed by him, so as thereby to have been ensured a perpetual duration. A temple was constructed to the honour of Rome, as a goddess, on Mount Palatine, by Hadrian himself. It was in the memory of these benefits that she holds in one hand the head of the sun, in the other the moon, as symbols of eternity, the Romans, from the religion of the Egyptians, regarding those planets as eternal."