Trajan Silver Denarius, RIC II Trajan 116

Monetary and Historical Context

The reign of Trajan (AD 98 to 117) was marked by unprecedented territorial expansion, ambitious building programs in Rome, and a profound restructuring of the imperial economy. Central to this activity was the successful conclusion of the First (AD 101 to 102) and Second (AD 105 to 106) Dacian Wars. The annexation of the Dacian kingdom brought vast treasures of gold and silver to Rome, along with direct control over the rich gold and silver mines of the Transylvanian plateau. This unprecedented influx of precious metal allowed Trajan not only to finance extensive architectural projects, such as his new forum, markets, and basilica, but also to stabilize and expand the output of the silver denarius. Within this broader monetary landscape, the denarius served as the daily workhorse denomination for state transactions, bureaucratic salaries, military disbursements, and inter-provincial commercial operations. Around AD 107, according to ancient literary sources, Trajan took advantage of the newly acquired Dacian silver bullion to undertake a comprehensive recall and demonetization of older, worn Republican and early imperial silver coinage that still circulated in large quantities. The melting down of obsolete silver permitted the centralized recoinage of massive quantities of contemporary denarii, including types bearing the imperial title of his fifth consulship (COS V). Type RIC II Trajan 116 belongs squarely to this period of elevated mint production, serving both as everyday currency and as a portable instrument of imperial state communication throughout the provinces.

Production Technology and Mint Organization

RIC II Trajan 116 was minted exclusively at the imperial capital of Rome, which operated as the principal mint for precious metal coinages throughout the empire during the early second century AD. The mint at Rome was organized into distinct administrative and operational divisions (officinae), which handled blank preparation, die engraving, coin striking, and quality control under the supervision of the procurator monetae. Technical examination of dies from this period demonstrates a high level of uniformity in style and execution, reflecting centralized artistic standards managed by seasoned master engravers. Blanks were cast in individual molds or scooped from molten silver before being hammered to ensure a relatively consistent weight standard. For Trajan's silver denarii minted during the fifth consulship, the theoretical weight standard hovered around 3.20 to 3.40 grams, struck at a nominal tariff of approximately 96 coins to the Roman pound (libra). The silver fineness of Trajanic denarii during this window typically ranged from 89 to 92 percent purity, slightly lower than the Flavian standards but sufficiently high to maintain domestic and commercial confidence across imperial markets. Striking was performed by hand between two bronze or iron dies, with the lower anvil die containing the obverse portrait and the upper hammer die carrying the reverse seated Roma. Minor variations in flan thickness, centering, and strike strength are standard across preserved specimens.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 116 depicts a mature portrait of Trajan facing right. In accordance with the formal catalogue specification for this type, the emperor is shown wearing the triumphal laurel wreath (corona triumphalis) tied at the back of the head, accompanied by light drapery visible over his left shoulder. This rendering presents a sober, idealized, yet recognizable likeness characteristic of Trajan's middle reign, often designated by art historians as the 'decennalia' or middle portrait style, which superseded the stricter veristic portraiture inherited from the late Flavian and Nerva periods. The bust exhibits Trajan's characteristic low forehead, straight nose, and combed-forward hair cut in straight bangs, projecting an image of traditional Roman virtus, discipline, and military resolve. While minor die-level variations occur in the exact arrangement of the drapery folds on the far shoulder or the curvature of the wreath ties hanging at the nape of the neck, the iconographic structure remains consistent. The portrait is encircled by an unbroken beaded border within which the long imperial titular legend is arranged clockwise around the flan.

Reverse Iconography and Attributes

The reverse of the type features the goddess Roma, personifying the state, seated facing left on a backless chair or curule seat. She is depicted in military dress, wearing a crested helmet and a short tunic that exposes her right breast in the manner of an Amazon warrior, highlighting both martial prowess and divine authority. Roma holds out a miniature figure of Victory (Victoria) standing on her extended right hand, while her left arm rests on a long, vertical spear positioned point upward behind her. The integration of a seated Roma with Victory creates a powerful synthesis of sovereign legitimacy and victorious peace. By depicting the state goddess holding Victory, the design credits Trajan's military triumphs directly to the divine destiny of Rome herself. Behind or beneath Roma's seat, shields are occasionally absent or rendered in low profile depending on the die engraver, but the core attributes of the helmet, spear, and diminutive Victory remain constant. The entire scene is encircled by the continuation of Trajan's administrative and honorary titles, with Roma centered as an anchor of ideological continuity during a period of massive provincial expansion.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The inscriptions on RIC II Trajan 116 constitute a cohesive political statement spanning both sides of the coin. The obverse legend reads IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, transcribed in full Latin as Imperatori Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate. This legend uses the dative case (Imp Traiano), framing the coin as a commemorative dedication to the emperor by the Senate and Roman people. The titles Germanicus (received in AD 97) and Dacicus (assumed late in AD 102) celebrate his northern military victories, while Pontifex Maximus and Tribunicia Potestate affirm his supreme religious guardianship and constitutional civil authority. The reverse legend completes the dedicatory sentence with COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, representing Consuli Quintum, Patri Patriae, Senatus Populusque Romanus Optimo Principi. The designation of his fifth consulship (COS V) fixes the starting point of this series to January 1, AD 103, continuing until his sixth consulship on January 1, AD 112. The title Pater Patriae highlights his paternal care for the citizenry. Crucially, the legend invokes the Senate and the Roman People (SPQR) dedicating the coin to their 'Best Prince' (Optimo Principi), a superlative honorific voted to Trajan around AD 103 and formally incorporated into his official coin legends to celebrate his justice, moderation, and harmonious relationship with the senatorial elite.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference corpus The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC II), this type is numbered 116 under the coinage of Trajan. The chronology of the issue is determined primarily by the consular iteration COS V, which Trajan assumed on January 1, AD 103, and held until he took his sixth and final consulship on January 1, AD 112. Because the Dacian title (DAC) is present, the issue cannot date prior to late AD 102. Consequently, standard catalogues assign the overall group to the broader window of AD 103 to 111. Modern scholarship, notably Bernhard Woytek's comprehensive monograph Moneta Imperii Romani: Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (MIR 14), has refined this broad envelope through intensive die studies and portrait analysis. Woytek classifies the denarii bearing the dative obverse legend and the COS V formula into several chronological phases. RIC II Trajan 116 falls within the major mid-reign issues struck between roughly AD 103 and 107, coinciding with the peak of the Second Dacian War and the immediate post-war victory celebrations. Distinct catalogued varieties in related series differ primarily by bust truncation, presence of an aegis, or minor reverse symbols, whereas RIC 116 is strictly defined by the laureate bust draped on the left shoulder paired with the seated Roma holding Victory.

Circulation and Archaeological Finds

Denarii of Trajan from the COS V period, including RIC II Trajan 116, saw extensive and prolonged circulation throughout the empire. Archaeological findspots documented in hoards and site excavations reveal that these coins traveled widely along commercial arteries and military corridors. Substantial quantities have been recorded in hoards from Britannia, Gaul, the Germanies, the Danubian frontier provinces of Raetia, Noricum, Pannonia, and Moesia, as well as the Italian heartland and the Levant. Due to their reliable silver alloy, Trajanic denarii remained active in commercial circulation for decades after Trajan's death in AD 117. Hoard data from the late Antonine and Severan eras demonstrate that Trajan's denarii continued to circulate alongside issues of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. They were eventually withdrawn from general circulation or melted down during the severe inflationary debasements of the mid-third century AD, when the introduction of the radiate antoninianus and progressive reductions in fineness under the Severan and soldier emperors rendered older, high-purity silver denarii targets for hoarding and clandestine bullion extraction.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 64-66
2. The Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage: From the Peace of Augustus to the Reform of Trajan. pp. 450-485
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 116. Type ric.2.tr.116
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 252, no. 116
5. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117) (MIR 14). Moneta Imperii Romani 14