Trajan Dupondius, RIC II Trajan 605

Monetary and Denominational Context

Under the High Empire, Roman base-metal coinage operated within the Augustan trimetallic system, where gold, silver, and aes issues maintained fixed exchange ratios. The dupondius held a tariff of two asses, representing half of a sestertius, one-eighth of a silver denarius, and one-two-hundredth of a gold aureus. By the reign of Trajan (AD 98 to 117), the physical production of the dupondius continued to rely on orichalcum, a golden-yellow brass alloy predominantly composed of copper and zinc. Because circulation wear and environmental patination frequently obscured the initial golden hue that separated brass dupondii from reddish copper asses of similar diameter, the imperial mint retained the conventional numismatic marker introduced during the Julio-Claudian era: the radiate crown. While the laureate wreath adorned the larger sestertius and the copper as, the radiate crown was reserved specifically for the dupondius, preventing fraudulent confusion in daily commerce. As an everyday medium of exchange across Roman Italy and the western provinces, the dupondius was essential for routine retail transactions, petty wage disbursements, and market purchases, circulating side-by-side with smaller asses and quadrantes.

Production Standards and Minting

RIC II Trajan 605 was struck exclusively at the central mint in Rome, which maintained strict institutional oversight over the empire's senatorial aes production. Although bearing the formula 'S C' (Senatus Consulto) to reflect the traditional constitutional authority of the Roman Senate over base-metal coinage, administrative operations, die carving, and metallurgical standards were fully coordinated under imperial officials. Struck dupondii of this period typically conformed to an empirical weight standard centering roughly around 11 to 14 grams, with flan diameters spanning between 26 and 29 millimeters, although individual flans exhibit normal fluctuations inherent to ancient manual blank preparation. The mint utilized carefully carved iron or bronze dies, striking hot-cast blanks with upper and lower punches. Production runs in Rome during Trajan's sixth consulship were substantial, driven by the massive wealth acquired from the Dacian conquests, which facilitated extensive civic expenditures, grand public building programs, and commemorative coinage issues celebrating the princeps's public benefactions.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 605 presents a mature, idealized portrait of Trajan facing right. In accordance with the denominational standard for the dupondius, the emperor wears a prominent radiate crown, whose spikes evoke the radiant solar rays of Sol and symbolically project imperial majesty. Die-engravers rendered Trajan's characteristic facial structure: a prominent, straight nose, a firm, clean-shaven jawline, and neatly brushed-forward hair, characteristic of the 'decennalia' and late portrait types. Minor variations exist in bust truncation and drapery; while many dies portray the radiate head with bare truncation, other attested specimens include slight drapery resting on Trajan's far or left shoulder. The obverse is encircled by a border of dots enclosing the full imperial titulature, which systematically credits the emperor with his military, religious, and civil offices.

Reverse Design: The Alimenta Italiae

The reverse iconographic program of RIC II Trajan 605 is directly dedicated to the Alimenta Italiae, the imperial maintenance scheme designed to support impoverished children throughout the Italian peninsula. The central figure is Abundantia (or Annona), elegantly draped in a stola, standing facing forward with her head turned to the left. In her lowered right hand, she extends two ears of corn (spicae) over the head of a small figure standing at her feet. This diminutive figure represents a young Roman boy, clad in a toga and holding a rolled document or parchment scroll (rotulus) in his left hand, symbolizing his legal registration and formal eligibility for the alimentary program. In her left arm, Abundantia cradles a heavy cornucopiae, the horn of plenty overflowing with fruits and grain, symbolizing Rome's unending prosperity under Trajan's paternal stewardship. In the field, the large letters 'S' and 'C' flank the figure, while the exergue beneath the ground line carries the defining inscription 'ALIM ITAL'.

Epigraphic Formulations and Inscriptions

The legends of RIC II Trajan 605 provide rich historical and administrative documentation. The unbroken obverse inscription reads: 'IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P'. This expands in Latin as 'Imperatori Caesari Nervae Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate, Consuli Sextum, Patri Patriae'. The titles commemorate his adoption by Nerva, his Augustan rank, his victorious cognomina from the Germanic and Dacian frontiers, his supreme pontificate, his tribunician authority, his sixth consulship, and his designation as Father of the Country. The reverse peripheral legend, 'S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI', expands as 'Senatus Populusque Romanus Optimo Principi' ('The Senate and Roman People to the Best Prince'). This title, Optimo Principi, had been awarded to Trajan by the Senate to exalt his civic virtue and moderation. Across the central fields, 'S C' confirms the traditional senatorial decree, while the exergual legend 'ALIM ITAL' is the abbreviation of 'Alimenta Italiae', making explicit the celebration of the child welfare fund.

Typology and Chronological Classification

RIC II Trajan 605 belongs to a major commemorative series struck during the latter half of Trajan's reign, securely dated by epigraphic evidence to the interval between AD 112 and 114. The obverse securely references 'COS VI', an office Trajan entered on January 1, AD 112. The issue ceased before mid-to-late AD 114, when the Roman mint overhauled imperial coin legends following the award of the supreme title 'Optimus' as an official praenomen/cognomen, followed by 'Parthicus' in AD 116. While earlier scholars, including Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham in RIC II, treated this issue under a broad post-103 or 112-to-117 umbrella, modern typological re-evaluations, notably by Bernhard Woytek in his corpus 'Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus' (MIR 14, type 469t), delineate the precise chronological envelope to AD 112-114. Parallel types bearing the Alimenta Italiae reverse were struck concurrently in both the larger sestertius denomination and the silver denarius, forming a coherent multi-denominational propaganda campaign.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Context

Dupondii of the 'ALIM ITAL' type enjoyed active circulation across Italy and the European provinces. Because base-metal aes was produced primarily for regional commercial life, pieces of RIC II Trajan 605 are found in urban excavation contexts, military fort settlements along the Rhine and Danube limes, and rural villa deposits. Over time, dupondii remained in circulation for decades, frequently staying in active currency into the Antonine and Severan eras until severe inflation diminished the utility of middle-bronze coinage. Archaeological findspots in Italy demonstrate the deep domestic resonance of the Alimenta scheme, while examples found in Britain, Gaul, and the Balkans highlight the wide dispersal of Rome-minted aes through troop movements and administrative transfers. Specimens surviving today frequently show varying states of wear, ranging from fine details on high-grade pieces to extensive smooth abrasion from prolonged commercial circulation.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 215-217, nos. 990-994
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 605. ric.2.tr.605
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 286, no. 605
4. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117 n. Chr.). MIR 14, type 469t