Part B Trajan denarius, Dacian trophy reverse

Marsyas Mike · Aug 11, 2021

This thread had so many nice "trophies" that I thought I'd tag in and bring it back up from the distant, pre-COVID past. And because I just got a Trajan dupondius that I wanted an excuse to post:

Trajan Æ Dupondius
(103-111 A.D.)
Rome Mint
IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DA[C P M TR P COS V P P], radiate bust right / SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI S-C; trophy, two shields at base (round and oblong shields in both places).
RIC 586; Cohen 573; BMC 909
(11.64 grams / 26 mm)
eBay July 2021

I also wanted an excuse to post the most delightful book I found on the local library's discard shelf. It is a children's book: Roman Diary, The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, Who Was Captured and Sold as a Slave in Rome, AD 107, by Richard Platt, Illustrated by David Parkins. Since the coin I posted dates from this era, I thought it relevant, barely.

The title sums it up; I was very, very impressed by the writing, historical accuracy (so far as I know enough to make a judgment) and Parkins' illustrations, which I think marvelous.

A few excerpts:

Iliona was born free, but was captured by pirates - the old were tossed overboard, as you can see in the background - the realities of slave life are not glossed over in this book:

The slave auction is shown - although the style is "cartoonish" I thought the poignancy and danger of this situation comes through - the reason Iliona and her brother's feet are dusted with chalk was to indicate that they were born free and therefore might be "a troublesome buy" - the book is full of interesting bits like this:

Since she could read and write, Iliona and her brother were snapped up by a Senatorial family - her brother winds up on a farm estate, where he is abused. Iliona gets far better treatment in Rome. And she gets to attend Trajan's triumph, complete with Dacian prisoners. My only complaint is that Trajan doesn't look much like Trajan:

I love these Dacian prisoners!

Here are two references to money (there are others, and a glossary). Cytheris is a fellow slave girl. The illustration of Iliona hiding money under a floor tile is how all of us on CT got our collections!

Iliona makes a visit to the Senate (her master is a Senator) and embarrasses herself (and her Senator master):

Roman religion, rendered wittily, I thought:

The nasty realities of being a slave are not glossed over, as I noted above. There is even a scene where her vulnerability to sexual exploitation is described (nothing happens, but it is made very clear that she has no power in this situation). Pretty raw stuff for a children's book, but it is an important truth, I think.

Anyway, hope you all like it as much as I do - feel free to critique!