Trajan Silver Denarius, RIC II Trajan 156

Monetary and Economic Context

During the reign of Trajan (AD 98 to 117), the Roman imperial monetary system was anchored by the silver denarius and the gold aureus, supported by an extensive subsidiary coinage in brass and copper. Trajan's accession and subsequent campaigns in Dacia transformed the imperial treasury. The annexation of the Dacian kingdom after the second campaign, completed in AD 106, secured massive quantities of bullion, including captured royal treasuries and the rich gold and silver mines of the Carpathians. This influx of precious metal enabled ambitious building programs in Rome, including the construction of the Forum of Trajan, the distribution of congiaria (cash handouts to the urban plebs), and sustained military expenditures along the frontiers. The denarius during this fifth consulship period maintained the post-Neronian weight and fineness baseline, generally struck at roughly 3.2 to 3.4 grams with a fineness fluctuating around 89 to 93 percent silver. Denarii of the RIC II Trajan 156 type formed an integral component of this re-energized currency supply, facilitating both large-scale fiscal disbursements to the legions and routine high-value commercial transactions throughout the Mediterranean.

Production and Mint Organization

The entire regular production of the silver denarius type RIC II Trajan 156 is securely assigned to the imperial mint of Rome. In this era, the mint operated as a highly centralized, sophisticated administrative institution organized into multiple officinae, or workshops, beneath the supervision of the procurator monetae. Die-engravers working in Rome adhered to rigorous stylistic conventions, producing crisp, lifelike portraits of the emperor alongside dynamic mythological compositions. Silver flans were cast in molds before being heated and struck between hand-held upper dies and anvil-fixed lower dies. Technical analysis of Trajanic denarii from this phase demonstrates remarkable consistency in die alignment, striking pressure, and portrait execution, reflecting the professional discipline of the Rome workshops. The immense volume of output required an extensive number of die pairs, leading to subtle engraving differences in facial features, drapery rendering, and letter spacing across individual dies within the established type parameters.

Obverse Iconography and Epigraphy

The obverse of RIC II Trajan 156 displays a dignified, realistic portrait of Trajan facing right. He is depicted wearing a laurel wreath, the corona triumphalis, tied at the back of the neck with ribbon ends trailing downward. The portraiture is characteristic of Trajan's middle reign, particularly the decennalia style associated with his tenth year of rule, marked by a low forehead, sharp aquiline nose, prominent chin, and close-cropped straight hair brushed forward over the brow. Some minor die variations noted in standard references exhibit slight drapery on the far left shoulder, though the core type definition focuses on the laureate head. The surrounding legend, starting at the lower left and reading clockwise, presents Trajan's official imperial nomenclature, incorporating his victor titles, religious supremacy, and constitutional authority.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse iconography of RIC II Trajan 156 features the Roman god of war, Mars, portrayed as a muscular, heroic youth in energetic motion. Mars is depicted advancing to the right, helmeted and nude with the exception of a chlamys, or military cloak, draped over his left shoulder and fluttering in his stride. In his right hand, he grasps a vertical spear pointing upward, while his left hand supports a captured military trophy (tropaeum) resting over his left shoulder. The trophy comprises a wooden pole hung with captured enemy armor, including a cuirass, helmet, and greaves. This specific posture, known numismatically as Mars Victor or Mars Gradivus, evokes offensive military readiness, active campaigning, and triumphant return. Placed within the context of the Dacian Wars, the image does not merely honor an abstract divinity; it credits Mars with guiding the Roman legions to victory, thereby securing peace and riches for the commonwealth.

Epigraphic Analysis and Titulature

The legends on RIC II Trajan 156 provide critical dating evidence and ideological insight. The obverse legend reads: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P. Expanded, this represents Imperatori Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate, Consuli V, Patri Patriae. The dative case construction (IMP TRAIANO AVG) is particularly noteworthy, framing the coinage as an offering or honorific dedication presented to the emperor rather than an utterance in his own name. The titles Germanicus (received under Nerva in AD 97) and Dacicus (assumed in AD 102) celebrate his northern conquests. Pontifex Maximus and Tribunicia Potestate denote his supreme priestly status and core civil authority, while Pater Patriae honors his paternal care for the state. The reverse legend, S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, expands to Senatus Populusque Romanus Optimo Principi (The Senate and the Roman People, to the Best of Princes). This dedication reflects the exceptional epithet Optimus, formally ratified and celebrated in Senatorial decrees, underscoring harmony between the princeps, the aristocracy, and the populace.

Typology and Chronological Classification

The chronological window for RIC II Trajan 156 is strictly governed by Trajan's consular notation. Trajan entered his fifth consulship (COS V) on January 1, AD 103, and did not assume his sixth consulship (COS VI) until January 1, AD 112. Consequently, all coins bearing COS V without higher consular designations fall within the AD 103 to 111 period. In modern numismatic taxonomy, this type is catalogued in The Roman Imperial Coinage as RIC II Trajan 156 and in the British Museum collection under BMCRE III Trajan 244-246. In Bernhard Woytek's corpus of Trajanic coinage (Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus, MIR 14), this reverse type forms part of the large-scale S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI group dated broadly to AD 103-107 and continuing into secondary phases before AD 111. It stands alongside parallel issues depicting other personifications such as Pax, Aequitas, Felicitas, and Victoria, which together framed an orchestrated narrative of victorious military campaigning yielding domestic prosperity.

Circulation, Hoards, and Archaeological Evidence

Extensive hoard evidence across the Roman world demonstrates that RIC II Trajan 156 circulated widely and remained in active use for generations. Large deposits discovered in Britain, the Rhine frontier, the Danubian provinces, and Roman Syria routinely include substantial numbers of Trajanic denarii from the COS V period. Trajan's recall and demonetization of pre-Neronian, worn republican and early imperial silver around AD 107 meant that newly struck coins like RIC 156 quickly became dominant components of the empire's circulating pool. Because of their dependable standard, these denarii continued to circulate well into the late second and early third centuries AD, frequently found alongside issues of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. Over decades of commercial circulation, individual specimens accumulated substantial surface wear, clipping, and test marks, while surviving hoard pieces preserve fine details of the die-cutter's artistry.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. pp. 67-68, nos. 244-246
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 156. ric.2.tr.156
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 256, no. 156
4. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117) (Moneta Imperii Romani 14). Type 283b