Trajan Silver Denarius, RIC II Trajan 291 (denarius)

Monetary Context

During the middle principate of Trajan, the denarius stood as the principal silver denomination across the Roman Mediterranean, bridging high-value gold aurei and base-metal brass or copper subsidiary coinage. Trajan's accession to his sixth consulship (COS VI) on January 1, AD 112, inaugurated a prolific phase of mint activity in Rome. Vast quantities of silver gained from the conquest of Dacia in AD 105 to 106, alongside the recall and recoinage of pre-Neronian silver documented by Cassius Dio, enabled extensive recoinage programs. RIC II Trajan 291 was struck in this economic climate, functioning both as a medium of fiscal disbursement to military forces and civil administrators and as a vehicle for official imperial communication.

Production and Mints

RIC II Trajan 291 was struck exclusively by the imperial mint at Rome, which held a near-monopoly on regular silver denarius production for the western and central provinces. Dies were engraved by skilled celators adhering to strict stylistic parameters established by the central administration. The coin was struck on cast flans according to the prevailing post-Neronian standard, which typically targeted a theoretical weight around 3.2 to 3.4 grams at a fineness of roughly 80 to 85 percent silver. The physical execution demonstrates refined die alignment and centered flan striking characteristic of the Rome officinae during the early second century AD.

Obverse Iconography

The obverse presents a right-facing portrait bust of Trajan. The emperor is shown laureate with drapery visible at his neck and shoulders, reflecting the classical realism and sober military demeanor typical of his decennalia and late-reign portraiture. His features are rendered with a broad jaw, prominent Roman nose, and neat fringe of hair combed forward onto the forehead, projecting authority, civic virtue, and steadfast vigilance.

Reverse Iconography

The reverse composition depicts Trajan on horseback pacing or riding to the left. In his right hand, the emperor grasps a long spear held in a reversed or downward position, while his left hand cradles a sword or controls the reins of his mount. Equestrian motifs in the Trajanic series frequently commemorated the emperor's arrival (adventus), victorious military expeditions, or monumental sculpture, notably the colossal bronze equestrian statue (Equus Traiani) erected in the Forum of Trajan. By showing the emperor with weapons at rest rather than actively trampling a fallen enemy, the design captures an image of triumphant peace secured by martial readiness.

Epigraphy and Legends

The obverse legend reads IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, expanding to Imperatori Traiano Augusto Germanico Dacico, Pontifici Maximo, Tribunicia Potestate, Consuli Sextum, Patri Patriae. This dedication in the dative case emphasizes honors offered to the emperor by the Roman state. The reverse legend, S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI (Senatus Populusque Romanus Optimo Principi), reinforces this dedicated framing, proclaiming that the Senate and the Roman People honor the 'Best Princeps'. The inscription is crisply rendered in formal Roman square capitals along the coin's perimeter.

Typology and Chronology

In the chronological arrangement established by Harold Mattingly in RIC II and refined by Bernhard Woytek in his corpus MIR 14, RIC II 291 is assigned to the period between AD 112 and AD 114. The commencement is marked by Trajan entering his sixth consulship (COS VI) in early AD 112. The terminus ante quem is established by the adoption of the title Optimus as a formal imperial cognomen in August AD 114, after which legends shift to include OPTIMO AVG in the nominative. Minor die varieties of the equestrian reverse exist, differing in the arrangement of the spear angle and the precise treatment of the drapery on the imperial bust.

Circulation and Monetary Life

Denarii of RIC II 291 circulated widely across the provinces of the Roman Empire, as evidenced by archaeological excavation finds and numismatic hoards in Britain, the Rhine-Danube limes, and the Near East. Due to the high standard of Trajan's silver and the massive volume of currency injected into the military economy, these denarii remained in active commercial use for generations. Many specimens were not retired until the massive debasements and monetary recoinages of the third century AD under the Severan and later emperors.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. III: Nerva to Hadrian. Trajan, no. 445
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC II Trajan 291 (denarius). ric.2.tr.291_denarius
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. II: Vespasian to Hadrian. p. 265, no. 291
4. Die Reichsprägung des Kaisers Traianus (98-117) (Moneta Imperii Romani 14). MIR 14, no. 396b