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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 4527326, member: 75937&quot;]Trajan ruled for nineteen years -- from 98 AD to 117 AD. He conquered many lands and grew the Roman Empire to its largest expanse in history. His rule was a time of great prosperity for Rome. Over the course of his reign, he accumulated many titles, none of which he <i>ever</i> let go to waste, so the inscriptions on his coins simply grew like kudzu ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121414[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>... requiring both obverse and reverse to contain them.</p><p><br /></p><p>He was one of five whom later historians would term &quot;good emperors,&quot; and he would have agreed with them. And why not? It&#039;s hard to be humble ...</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]DxldrySd7IU[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>Imagine if he had been born a Leo and not a Virgo!!! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie100" alt=":wideyed:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some coins in my collection from late in his reign, along with translations of the loquacious titulature. <i>Post your coins with boastful inscriptions! </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>It goes without saying that he broke with tradition and put his name in the dative case (the <a href="http://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/dative-reference" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/dative-reference" rel="nofollow">dative of advantage</a>, specifically), so that everyone would know that the coin they held in their hand was issued FOR him.</p><p><br /></p><p>Being such a <i>humble</i> man, he had himself depicted with a &quot;heroic bust&quot; -- with exposed torso, with drapery covering only the far shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>These coins of AD 107-111 bear the inscription IMP TRAINO AVG GER DAC P M TR P/COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, which means &quot;The senate and people of Rome for the emperor Trajan, the revered one, victor over the Germans and Dacians, highest priest, holder of tribunician power, consul for the 5th time, father of his country, the best of leaders.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121423[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121424[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This one, dating to AD 114-117, has similar titulature but for &quot;consul for the sixth time.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121434[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This one has the same inscription, but it also boasts of the construction of the Via Traiana -- named after himself, of course! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121429[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>When one defeats the Parthians in AD 115, one brags about it by taking on another title. No time for losers, right?</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]04854XqcfCY[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>This one from AD 115/116 reads IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM/DAC PARTHICO P M TR POT XX COS VI P P, meaning &quot;For the Emperor Caesar Nerva Trajan, the best, the revered, victor over the Germans, Dacians, and Parthians, highest priest, with tribunician power for the twentieth time, consul for the sixth time, father of the country.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121435[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This one from Trajan&#039;s final issue, AD 117, bears the impressive collection of alphabet soup, IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GERM DAC/PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, meaning &quot;The senate and people of Rome for the emperor Caesar Nerva Trajan, the best, the revered one, victor over the Germans, Dacians, and Parthian, highest priest, holder of tribunician power, consul for the 6th time, father of his country.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1121431[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;Now, how&#039;s THAT for narcissism?![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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