Trajan Orichalcum Dupondius RIC II Trajan 629

Monetary Context and Denominational Function

The monetary system of the High Roman Empire operated on a multi-tiered bimetallic and base-metal standard codified under Augustus and preserved into the second century AD. Within this framework, the dupondius functioned as an essential intermediate value between the large brass sestertius, valued at four asses, and the smaller copper as. Valued at two asses, or one-eighth of a silver denarius, the dupondius allowed ordinary citizens, merchants, and state paymasters to execute medium-value cash transactions without depleting precious-metal coinages. Under Trajan, base-metal coinage experienced substantial production to sustain military expenditures, public works across Italy, and civic distributions. The use of orichalcum, a golden-hued zinc-copper brass alloy, historically distinguished the dupondius and sestertius from the reddish pure copper of the as. However, over successive decades, the zinc content in circulating brass experienced fluctuations and gradual decreases due to metal recycling. To prevent confusion in circulation between worn asses and dupondii of comparable module and mass, the imperial administration maintained the convention introduced in the early Julio-Claudian era: the radiate crown. While asses uniformly portrayed the emperor bare-headed or wearing a laurel wreath, the dupondius depicted Trajan wearing the radiate solar crown of Sol, guaranteeing immediate visual identification regardless of alloy degradation or patina.

Mint Operation and Production Technology

RIC II Trajan 629 was produced exclusively by the principal imperial mint located in Rome. During the middle to late reign of Trajan, the Rome mint was a highly structured industrial enterprise organized into distinct officinae (workshops) overseen by imperial freedmen and equestrian procurators. The manufacturing process of base-metal coins began with the preparation of blanks cast in open or two-part molds. These flans were adjusted to meet the target weight standards of the dupondius, which typically hovered between 11 and 14 grams, although variations were standard due to al marco striking practices, where a predetermined number of flans was struck from a set weight of metal rather than individually adjusted to exact tolerance. Once prepared, blanks were heated to increase malleability and placed between hand-cut iron or bronze dies. The lower die (obverse) was fixed into an anvil, while the upper die (reverse) was held by an operative and struck with a heavy hammer. Die-axis alignment for Trajanic aes coinage at Rome predominantly followed a regular six-o'clock alignment (reverse upside-down relative to the obverse), reflecting meticulous mechanical control by the mint celatores. Surviving examples of RIC II Trajan 629 attest to skilled engraving, with deeply cut relief and crisp lettering reflecting the zenith of Trajanic artistic execution.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Image

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 629 presents the radiate head of Emperor Trajan facing right. Rendered in the realistic, sober verism that came to characterize the middle and later phases of Trajanic portraiture, the portrait captures the ruler's characteristic low forehead, straight combed hair, pronounced jawline, and determined profile. Unlike early portraiture from the beginning of his principate, which exhibited strong stylistic affinities with his predecessor Nerva, portraits produced during his sixth consulship depict an authoritative commander in the prime of his political maturity. The radiate crown, consisting of sharp vertical spikes projecting from a diadem tied at the back of the head, represents the rays of the sun god Sol. Beyond its practical role as a denominational indicator for the dupondius, the radiate crown carried religious overtones of divine energy and cosmic favor, subtly elevating the princeps within accepted civic and senatorial visual boundaries.

Reverse Iconography and Religious Symbolism

The reverse of the type features the goddess Fortuna, specifically qualified in the accompanying legend as Fortuna Redux. She is portrayed seated upon a high-backed throne or curule-style stool facing left. Draped in a stola and palla, Fortuna cradles a cornucopiae in her left arm, symbolizing the abundance, prosperity, and peace secured by the imperial house. In her right hand, she holds the tiller of a rudder resting upon the ground, alluding to her divine guidance of human destiny, statecraft, and maritime journeys. The invocation of Fortuna Redux held immense political and military significance in imperial Rome. First prominent under Augustus upon his safe return from the East in 19 BC, this aspect of the goddess was worshipped as the bringer-of-safety who safeguarded the emperor during dangerous journeys abroad and ensured his return to the capital. In the context of 112 to 114 AD, this reverse directly foreshadowed or accompanied Trajan's departures from Rome toward the eastern provinces for the forthcoming Parthian campaign. Flanking the seated personification are the prominent capital letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto, the traditional formula reflecting senatorial authority over the coinage of base metals.

Inscriptions and Epigraphic Analysis

The inscriptions on RIC II Trajan 629 exemplify the epigraphic clarity and comprehensive titulature of Trajan's later reign. The obverse legend reads IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, written in the dative case (Neruae Traiano Augusto), indicating that the coinage was formally dedicated to the emperor by the Senate and Roman people. Unpacked, the formula expands to Imperatori Caesari Nervae Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate, Consuli Sexto, Patri Patriae. This sequence confirms his lineage from the divine Nerva, his highest administrative and religious status as pontifex maximus, his annual tribunician power, his sixth consulship, and the venerable honor of Pater Patriae. The reverse bears the concise legend FORTVNAE REDVCI, also rendered in the dative case, dedicating the coin to Fortuna the Home-Bringer. The senatorial sanction S C completes the legend in the lower field. The letterforms are classic imperial capitals characterized by proportional serifs, uniform letter height, and balanced spacing around the flan perimeter.

Typology and Chronological Placement

The absolute dating of RIC II Trajan 629 is established by the interaction of Trajan's consular date and imperial victory titles. The obverse securely records COS VI, placing the initial production of the type no earlier than January 1, 112 AD, when Trajan entered his sixth and final ordinary consulship alongside Sextus Erucius Clarus. The legend retains DAC (Dacicus) without yet displaying the titles Optimus (decreed by the Senate as a formal title in mid 114 AD) or Parthicus (assumed in 116 AD). Furthermore, Trajan's departure from Rome for the eastern frontier took place in late autumn of 113 AD, arriving in Antioch in early 114 AD. Consequently, numismatic scholarship, notably codified by Bernhard Woytek in his corpus on Trajanic coinage, places the striking of this Fortuna Redux issue between 112 and early 114 AD. In the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage, type 629 specifically isolates the radiate dupondius with Fortuna Redux seated left, distinct from corresponding sestertii (RIC 628) bearing laureate portraits and differing flan dimensions, as well as contemporaneous denarii bearing silver-specific reverse variants.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

As a medium-denomination brass coin, RIC II Trajan 629 circulated extensively throughout Italy and the western provinces of the Roman Empire, including Gaul, Hispania, Britain, and along the Rhine-Danube military frontiers. Middle bronzes of Trajan served in domestic market settings for daily retail purchases, food staples, and minor civic dues. Archaeological site finds consistently show that Trajanic dupondii experienced lengthy circulation lives, frequently surviving in active commerce through the Antonine and Severan periods before being lost, discarded, or hoarded. Site assemblages across Roman Britain and Germany demonstrate that Trajanic aes coins endured severe mechanical wear, with radiate crowns frequently worn flat after decades of circulation alongside older Flavian issues and subsequent Hadrianic pieces. While base-metal coins were less commonly preserved in major institutional savings hoards compared to silver denarii, mixed aes hoards from the mid-to-late second century frequently contain Trajanic dupondii, attesting to their persistent utility and enduring intrinsic metal value within the Roman economy.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Volume III: Nerva to Hadrian. Trajan, no. 996
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 288, no. 629
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 629. RIC II Trajan 629
4. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98–117). Moneta Imperii Romani 14, type 471