If the Dacians all looked like this, what took Rome so long to defeat them?

This poor fellow looks like he could use a few hamburgers. Or could have been Ray Bolger's understudy in The Wizard of Oz.

Trajan AR Denarius, 106 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right with drapery on far shoulder; IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TRP COS V P P / Rev. Captive Dacian in peaked cap with wide brim, seated right on shield in mournful attitude with left elbow on raised left knee, and face resting in left hand; below, curved Dacian sword right; SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. RIC II 218, RSC II 529a, Sear RCV II 3168 (obv. var.: bust with aegis). 17 mm., 3.02 g., 6 h.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Very nice coin! However, I think you've misidentified the bust type. I believe yours is RIC 219, RSC 529, BMCRE 175, with a laureate head:


The one with the drapery on left shoulder (RIC 218, RSC 529a, BMC 179) looks like this:

 

I think the seller's belief, and the reason they identified the coin as RIC 218, etc., is that in fact there is drapery on the left shoulder, but only the faintest trace of it can be seen given the wear on the coin. Personally, I don't see it, and think you may be correct.

I've also seen different sources describe the Dacian as variously male and female. (Here we go again.) Mine looks like the former, and yours more like the latter.

 

It's usually apparent, even with an advanced state of wear:

 

I suspect that you're right, and the seller was wrong. It's an outrage! I've been snookered.

 

TRAJAN
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P laureate, draped
REVERSE: COS V P P SPQR OPTIMO PRINC – DAC CAP in ex. Dacian seated r. on pile of arms, his hands bound behind him.
Struck at Rome, 103-111 AD 2.8g, 18mm
RIC 96

 

The coin is still lovely and historically interesting! It just has a different bust type!

 

I was just kidding, @Roman Collector. My description now reads as follows:

Trajan AR Denarius, 106 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right; IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TRP COS V P P / Rev. Captive Dacian in peaked cap with wide brim, seated right on shield in mournful attitude with left elbow on raised left knee, and face resting in left hand; below, curved sword right; SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI. RIC II 219 (http://numismatics.org/ocre/results?q=RIC+II+Trajan+219); RSC II 529; Sear RCV II 3168 (obv. var.); BMCRE 175 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_R-11584). 17 mm., 3.02 g., 6 h.

Thanks for the correction.

 

Very nice and historic OP coin. I have a similar coin, but not as nice condition:

 

Dacian hat looked like a phrygian helmet, brimless and with the tip towards the front. I believe that neither the hat, neither their flag (the not a "donkey head") are accurately represented on coins.

Moreover, seems that the enemies were misrepresented on purpose; just considering the entire FTR series as an example on how the weak barbarians were shown.

 

Lovely Trajan coins, and an interesting thread about representing the “Other.” By the fourth century, it seems the Romans had a couple of ways of signaling “barbarian,” with one being the Phrygian cap (top) and the other depicting the barbarian bare-headed, with a kind of weird, bulbous head of hair (bottom).

What’s fascinating to me is that both representations can be found on Constantinian SOLI INVICTO COMITI variants that were likely minted to celebrate his victory over Licinius in 316—in other words, not a war against barbarians but against other Romans. Perhaps the army had been sufficiently “Germanized” by this time so that a captive from their first civil war could be represented as a barbarian. But it seems to me that Constantine wanted to say that he who is against me is no Roman at all.

Sorry this is a bit of a hijack. But I wonder if what we call the “Phrygian cap” on later coins may actually be a Dacian hat described by @catadc above?

 

The curved sword made a rare reappearance in exergue of a Septimius Severus 'Emesa' denarius showing the captive from the Parthian war. These are dated TRP III (195) and seem to be the end of the series from that mint. My example is terrible but never got upgraded.


I'll add two of the common (no sword) types showing the attire of what was then considered to be the recently defeated enemy. However, we really do not know if the die cutter had knowledge of the appearance of the foe or if the coins were modeled from those of Trajan.

 

I have a sword beneath variant of the Sept. Sev. which is combined with an obverse legend error

IMP CAE L SPE(sic) SEV - PERT [AVG COS II]

 

The sword seems to also make an appearance on the "Trophy with arms below, dejected captive seated beneath, shield on knees" type from the eastern IMP VIII series though it is less clear. Th reason for thinking it is there is that a similar artifact appears under the exe on three different reverse dies of this scarce type

INVICT IMP

INVICTO IMP

INVICTO IMP (but no shield on captive)

 

I'm struck by the stylistic difference between the OP and Roman Collector's top coin, and I noticed there is a dot under what I assume was intended to be a curved sword in the exergue of RC's coin.

Is there any chance that the two coins may have come from different mints?

 

Great coin, Donna! LOL, yeah, well... Maybe those skinny Dacians had the Romans figgerred out until Trajan finally threw a massive campaign against them. JUST because they had a bit of Gold that the Romans were beginning to run out of...

I have a very pedestrian version, but it is a Dacian...


RI Trajan AR Denarius 98-117 CE Trophy over Dacian Captive RIC II 222

 

Donna, That's a lovely portrait of Trajan . The Romans had a real gift for depicting the vanquished . The Dacians remained a threat to Rome until the reign of Trajan Decius, AD 249-251.

 

Very nice coin Donna. That Dacian needs some nourishment. Super-size the burger and fries!

 

Indeed. Although by the time of my only other "captive" coin (issued by Constans around 348-350 AD), instead of portraying their captives as undernourished matchsticks, the Romans had shrunk them to the size of Munchkins.

 

Like Al Kowsky's coin, another TD depiction of Dacia:

Trajan Decius. 249-251 AD. AR Antoninianus (23mm; 3.31 gm; 12h). Rome mint, 1st officina. 2nd-3rd emissions, 249-250 AD. Obv: Radiate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: Dacia standing left, holding a Draco-headed staff. RSC 16.