On this date in history 1,902 years ago, one of the manliest men in history (think of like the Chuck Norris of Rome, except a real bad @$$ without the jokes) Trajan, known for bringing the greatest militaristic expansion the empire had ever seen, dies, aged 62 of edema after a long illness once conquering Dacia of course. Don't believe me? I've got a friend who who'll tell ya all about it. Just "column". With MANY people doubting the sincerity if his widows claims that he left the purple to, the emperor who would spend less time actually in Rome then any emperor up to that time (not to mention the scandalously effeminate), Hadrian! I have such mixed emotions about this guy, as I do tend to believe the hyperbole and blatant propaganda about the man (or at least want to sooo baaaad), but must point out that there is a certain amount of doubt to how much T-rage actually accomplished. However, what is undisputed, dude was a man's man. Known as "The Soldier Emperor" the man ruled for nearly 20 years 98-117CE!!! That's long for any soldier, led alone the soldier that ruled the largest empire on the planet. He was universally regard at the time of his death as "optimus princeps", means ,the greatest ruler! He was one of the 5 "good" (not to be compared to your modern standards) Emperors. He always reminds me of the kind of guy who would beat you up for no good reason, buy you a beer and let you sleep on his empirial couch afterword. So here's a thread to the man of the hour, Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Divi Nervae filius Augustus: (Yeah, what a warrior?!?! My show denarius of his has Mars strutting on the reverse...jus sayin) Trajan RIC 52 Traianus (98-117 AD). AR Denarius (19 mm, 2.94 g), Roma (Rome), 101-102 AD. Obv. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM, laureate bust right, drapery on left shoulder. Rev. P M TR P COS IIII P P, Mars walking right, carrying spear and trophy. Trajan A.D. 98-117. AE semis (20.9 mm, 4.79 g). Struck for circulation in the East. Rome A.D. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM, radiate head right, draped left shoulder / DAC PARTHICO P M TR POT XX COS VI P P, SC, legend around and within oak wreath. RIC 677; cf. BMCRE 1100 (Rome). Nearly VF Scarce. Trajan Æ Quadrans. Rome, circa AD 109-117. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder / She-wolf at bay to right, SC in exergue. RIC 692. Fine. Hadrian AR-Denarius Roma throne, 117-138 2,86g, 18mm. RIC: 146 ff. HADRIAN 117-138 AD. AR Denarius (19mm, 2.77gm). Struck 134-138 AD. Head right / Egypt reclining against basket left, holding sistrum, ibis at feet. RIC II 297; RSC 99. Ex-Savoca This coin commemorates Hadrian's visit to Egypt in 130-131 AD. It was while Hadrian was on tour in Egypt that his favorite, Antinoüs, "mysteriously" drowned in the Nile. So great was the emperor's grief that he commanded a series of religious rituals to be performed in the young man's honor, and, on the site where the body was recovered, Hadrian ordered the construction of a city called Antinöopolis in honor of the young man. Post him, his little lady, Hadrian, his little lady... Or Antinous (if you can afford something like that) or anything you deem MANLY!
Trajan Ar Denarius 116-117 A.D. Obv Heroic Bust of Trajan right globe below Rv Felicitas stg r. RIC 333 var 3.20 grms 19mm The Real Deal at 63 years old Vlad the 21st Century wannabee
Here are my Trajan's looking regal and manly af. Could totally take Vlad or Chuck in a fight any day of the week.
My thrift store’s Antinous... ANTINOUS (Antinoüs) AE hemidrachm. EGYPT, Alexandria. 130-138 AD. ANTINOOV HPωOC (Antinous, Heros), draped bust left, wearing hem-hem crown. Reverse - Antinoüs (as Hermes), wearing chlamys, holding caduceus with his right hand, on horseback right; RPC III 6235/10; Emmett 1347.21 (R4). 28mm, 10.1g.
Trajan LOVED titulature. The longer the string of titles, the better, requiring the obverse and the reverse despite abbreviations. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM / DAC PARTHICO P M TR POT XX COS VI P P. I reconstruct the legend as IMP[ERATORI] CAES[ARO] NER[VAE] TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG[VSTO] GERM[ANICO] DAC[ICO] PARTHICO P[ONTIFICI] M[AXIMO] TR[IBVNICIO] POT[ESTATE] XX CO[N]S[VLI] VI P[ATRI] P[ATRIAE], meaning "To the Emperor Caesar Nerva Trajan, the best, revered defeater of the Germans, defeater of the Dacians, defeater of the Parthians, highest priest, with tribunician power for the twentieth time, consul for the sixth time, father of the country." Now, how's THAT for narcissism?!
The whole reason I want to go to Spain is to visit the town in which he was born. They have some Roman ruins there, so maybe he walked on those ruins as a young boy? RIC II 60
I love this denarius of Trajan, he really looks like a boss in this one. Trajan, AR Denarius (18 mm, 3.23g), Rome, 107-111. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P Laureate head of Trajan to right, with slight drapery on left shoulder. Rev. COS V P P SPQR OPTIMO PRINC Victory standing left, holding wreath and palm frond. RIC 128.
TRAJAN AR Denarius. 3.12g, 20.7mm. Rome mint, AD 114-117. RIC II 354 var. (bust type); BMCRE pg. 111 note; RSC 274c. O: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. R: P M TR P COS VI PP S P Q R, Virtus standing right, holding spear and parazonium, left foot on helmet. Ex Michael Kelly Collection; ex John A. Seeger Collection
I also have one of his beloved niece: Matidia. Died AD 119. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 22.44 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Trajan, September AD 112-117. [MATIDIA] AVG DIVAE MAR[CIANAE F], draped bust right, wearing double stephane, erect on top of her head, on which her hair is built up; her hair is massed and coiled on the back of her head / [PIETAS AVGVST], Matidia standing left, placing her hands on heads of two children, Sabina and Matidia the younger, who standing looking up and raising hands to her. RIC II 761 (Trajan); Woytek 730-1; Banti 1.
Not all Trajans are large and martial. This is one of my smallest Provincials, it measures less than half a fingertip: Trajan (98-117), half quadrans. Rome Mint for Antiochia Seleucis. Obv. Laureate bust right. Rev. SC in wreath. 11 mm, 1.48 gr. RPC online Nr. 3680 (‘chalkous’, 1 in collection). And this one is slightly lighter even, but a bit larger: Trajan (98-117), AE13 dichalkon. Alexandria. RY 17 (=113/4). Obv. Laureate head right. Rev. Hem-hem crown of Harpokrates; L I-Z (year) in field below. 13 mm, 1.18 gr. Emmett 707.17 (R4, but see RPC). RPC III 4820 (20 pcs). One of those other 'many very nice bronzes' of the Alexandrian series as mentioned by @dougsmit in this recent thread.
Today being the day that Trajan’s letter of adoption (litteras adoptionis) was made public when it reached Hadrian in Antioch. I thought I'd share this:
