As Chantraine proposed in 1971, COL LAN
COMM on Commodus' coins of 190 should be read "Lanuvium, the Commodan Colony", apparently commemorating Commodus' promotion of
his birthplace Lanuvium to colonial status, not "(
Rome), the Lucian Antoninian Commodan Colony", as traditionally interpreted. For how could
Commodus possibly have renamed
Rome "Lucian" at a time when he was
still using the
praenomen Marcus not
Lucius? See the As below, with
obverse legend beginning M(arcus); it was only in the course of the
following year, 191, that
Commodus returned to the
praenomen Lucius that he
had used before
his father's death!
Commodus did refound
Rome in 192, as Dio Cassius attests, and a golden statue of the emperor as
Hercules and founder, plowing with a team of
bull and
cow, was erected, which is also depicted on
rare coins and medallions of that year: see example below, with
inscription "To the Roman
Hercules, the Founder".
In fact it was comparatively common during the
Roman empire for cities to be refounded, sometimes also adopting a new era, in
honor of an emperor who could be regarded as the city's savior. Promoting a Greek city to colonial status also involved a refounding ceremony; hence the plowing
type that is so common on colonial coins.
However, this doesn't mean that
Hadrian founded
Aelia Capitolina twice, the case Benito apparently has in mind. That possibility certainly cannot be excluded, but it cannot be accepted as probable either, in the absence of reliable evidence establishing Jerusalem's status immediately before, during, and after the
Second Revolt.