DI-1808 | RIC II Trajan 771
Trajan
Trajan

Dynasty: Antonine
Emperor: Trajan
Authority: Trajan
Date and mint: AD 98/AD 117 - Rome


Obverse: Head of Rome, with helmet, right; x behind
Legend: ROMA

Reverse: Rome seated right; loba and gemelos frontally; proas in the field
Legend: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GER DAC P P REST

Comment: Trajan ruled the Empire from AD 98 to 117 and was remembered as one of the best Roman emperors. A brilliant soldier, he brought Rome's frontiers to their greatest extent through the annexation of Dacia, Arabia Petraea and part of Mesopotamia, while also being noted for administration, social reforms and public works. Between AD 102 and 114, after the Dacian wars, Trajan celebrated a great triumph and sponsored monuments such as Trajan's Column. He also issued restored coinages, nummi restituti, reviving old Republican types to present his government as continuous with Rome's foundational values. RIC II 771 belongs to this series. The obverse shows the helmeted head of Roma, as on Republican denarii. The reverse shows Roma seated with the wolf and Romulus and Remus, but with prows in the field instead of augural birds. The REST abbreviation marks it as an official restoration issue, not a later copy. By adding his titles, Trajan turned an archaizing type into a contemporary political statement linking Republican origins with imperial power and presenting himself as heir and renewer of Rome's eternal mission.

Provenance: Roma Numismatics (2020)
Price: 1,003 €