Trajan Silver Denarius RIC II Trajan 96

Monetary and Historical Context

The issue of RIC II Trajan 96 belongs to the transformative period following the Second Dacian War (AD 105 to 106). Following the collapse of the Dacian kingdom under Decebalus, Rome absorbed enormous reserves of gold and silver from Dacian royal treasuries and reopened rich mines in the Apuseni Mountains. This sudden influx of precious metal had immediate ramifications for Roman imperial fiscal policy. Ancient testimony preserved by Johannes Lydus, drawing on the lost Getica of Trajan's physician Criton, suggests that vast quantities of bullion were brought to Rome. While modern historians debate the literal accuracy of these figures, numismatic evidence demonstrates an unprecedented surge in precious-metal coin production during Trajan's fifth consulship (AD 103 to 111). Concurrently, Trajan used this newfound wealth to execute a comprehensive demonetization and reminting program described by Cassius Dio, withdrawing worn Republican denarii and early imperial coins of higher weight but lower consistency to reforge them into uniform imperial issues. RIC II Trajan 96 functioned as an essential vehicle for this economic transformation. Struck on an official silver standard fluctuating around 3.25 grams with an alloy fineness near 90 percent silver, it served day-to-day military, civic, and commercial transactions while embedding the definitive victory message of Dacia Capta across the empire.

Production and Mint Organization

Production of RIC II Trajan 96 was concentrated exclusively at the central imperial mint in Rome. During the middle years of Trajan's reign, the Rome mint operated as a highly coordinated bureaucratic workshop divided into distinct production units or officinae. Although workshop numerals or control marks do not appear on these silver issues, internal die studies and sequence analyses conducted by Bernhard Woytek indicate that multiple working dies were cut simultaneously across several officinae to support an immense volume of output. The physical striking of RIC II Trajan 96 exhibits the high technical competence characteristic of Trajanic Rome. Coin flans were cast from prepared ingots, carefully adjusted to the targeted weight standard, and struck between hand-held engraved dies. Die alignment for the series was predominantly adjusted close to a vertical axis, either at the 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock positions, though minor mechanical shifts occurred during continuous high-speed striking. The portrait style of this issue demonstrates a unified artistic canon developed by master engravers in the capital, shifting away from the earlier veristic Nerva-like features to a classicizing, authoritative image of the Optimus Princeps.

Obverse Iconography and Variations

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 96 presents a right-facing bust of Trajan. The emperor is depicted in the mature portrait style that defined the central decade of his rule: a firm jawline, prominent nose, straight hair combed forward in short, neat strands, and a focused, resolute expression. He is consistently crowned with a laurel wreath, tied at the nape of the neck with two ribbon ties falling toward the shoulder. A recognized typological variation in the obverse design involves the drapery. While the primary design type shows the imperial bust bare-necked with the head laureate, many verified dies feature slight drapery arranged over the left shoulder. In numismatic catalogues, this minor drapery variant is typically treated under the same main entry or distinguished as a subvariant (such as RIC 96 var. or Woytek 289b). Die studies have confirmed that both variations were executed contemporaneously during the fifth consulship by the same pool of engravers.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of RIC II Trajan 96 delivers an unambiguous narrative of military subjugation. A solitary Dacian captive is depicted seated right in an attitude of despondency, with both wrists bound securely behind his back. The figure sits atop a disordered mound of captured weapons and equipment, which includes oval and hexagonal Dacian shields, curved swords (falces), and spears. The Dacian wears characteristic barbarian attire consisting of long trousers (braccae) and a loose tunic, often detailed with a beard and disheveled hair. This reverse design consciously revives and reinterprets the famous Flavian Iudaea Capta iconography inaugurated by Vespasian three decades earlier. By substituting a seated Jewish mourning woman with a bound male Dacian warrior surrounded by his discarded weapons, the mint engravers emphasized the defeat of a formidable military foe rather than merely the quelling of a provincial insurrection. The heap of arms under the captive serves a dual symbolic purpose: it underscores Roman martial supremacy and asserts that Dacian military capability has been thoroughly eradicated.

Epigraphy and Legend Readings

The inscriptions on RIC II Trajan 96 are integral to its political message and chronological attribution. The obverse legend reads: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P. This expands in Latin as Imperatori Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate. The formula honors Trajan in the dative case ('To the Emperor Trajan Augustus...'), a stylistic hallmark of Trajan's middle reign that framed the coins as dedicatory homages from the Roman Senate and people. The reverse inscription is arranged in two distinct parts: COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC around the periphery, with the concise declaration DAC CAP in the exergue beneath the seated captive. Fully expanded, this reads Consul Quintum, Pater Patriae, Senatus Populusque Romanus Optimo Principi, Dacia Capta. The exergual legend DAC CAP directly announces the subjugation of Dacia. The surrounding text explicitly names the Senate and the Roman people as the dedicating body offering honors to their 'best prince' (Optimus Princeps), an imperial title officially awarded to Trajan that became synonymous with his public legacy.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the foundational catalogue of Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham, this coin is catalogued as RIC II Trajan 96. Its chronological placement is anchored by the mention of Trajan's fifth consulship (COS V), which commenced on 1 January AD 103, and the absence of his sixth consulship (COS VI), which began on 1 January AD 112. Furthermore, because the legend includes DAC CAP and the victory title Dacicus, the issue can only postdate the successful termination of the Second Dacian War in AD 106. In his modern comprehensive die-study corpus, Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus, Bernhard Woytek refined the absolute chronology of Trajan's fifth consulship issues. Woytek classifies this specific DAC CAP denarius series under MIR 14, no. 289b, dating the bulk of its striking to roughly AD 107 to 108, directly in the aftermath of Trajan's Dacian triumph in Rome. RIC II Trajan 96 is closely linked typologically to companion issues depicting trophy monuments, Victoria standing or walking, and Dacian captives standing beside trophies, all produced during this concentrated post-conquest phase.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

RIC II Trajan 96 was issued in large numbers and enjoyed extensive circulation across the Roman world. Hoard evidence from Britain, Gaul, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces reveals that Trajan's fifth-consulship denarii formed the core of the empire's circulating silver pool for generations. Significant quantities of these coins remained in use well into the third century AD, frequently appearing alongside issues of the Antonines and Severans in hoards deposited during the political and economic crises of the mid-third century. Due to their robust initial mintage, specimens of RIC II Trajan 96 survive in considerable numbers today across major public museum cabinets and private collections. While many recovered examples show signs of prolonged circulation wear, such as flattening of the captive's drapery or the fine details of the shields, crisp specimens struck from fresh dies provide exceptional insight into the high artistic standards of the Rome mint during Trajan's golden age.

References

1. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 96. ric.2.tr.96
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 252, no. 96
3. Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts. Teil I: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit des Traian. Teil I, Traian, pp. 110-128
4. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117). Moneta Imperii Romani 14. MIR 14, no. 289b