The history of the coinage of the Roman Empire is an important primary source for the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. The types of coinages are many, timely, and expressive, and both emperors can be seen to have placed their personal stamp on the medium. The coinage used by the inhabitants of the Roman Empire in the early second century AD was produced in a number of different locations. The mint in the capital struck gold coins that circulated throughout the empire; silver, which was current in most provinces; and base metal coinage (the sestertius and its fractions) for circulation primarily in the west. Many of the eastern provinces, the most important being Egypt, Syria, and Cappadocia, used a silver coinage based on the Greek drachm and ostensibly of their own production. The bronze coinage of most eastern provinces was of local production.