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<p>[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 3117738, member: 84744"]OK, this is a great coin and a super-premium writeup, even for Curtisimo. Thank you!! I love how you get us to think about the evidence and answer an interesting question for ourselves, even if most of us are amateurs. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I voted for #4 (something else), though if I had been forced to pick one of the other three, it would have been your hypothesis about the canal. My version of 4 is really just a generalized version of your canal hypothesis, a version which you elucidate nicely in your article, even if it wasn't one of the voting options: it celebrates Trajan's consolidation and Romanization of the Danube as a safe and navigable limes and trade route. Part of that is due to the canal, of course, but it's also due to the conquest of Dacia more generally and other construction projects (including forts and the road) along the river. With Danube's hand on the ship, perhaps the coin emphasizes the naval aspects like the Roman navy on the river, and a brisk trade. (<a href="http://danube.travel/main-menu/highlights/roman-emperors-/the-roman-imperial-fleet-on-the-danube.410.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://danube.travel/main-menu/highlights/roman-emperors-/the-roman-imperial-fleet-on-the-danube.410.html" rel="nofollow">Here's</a> a brief description of the importance of the Roman imperial fleet on the Danube.) Do you know if there was any problem with piracy on the river prior to Trajan's measures to enhance security? I know it was a problem in the Black Sea in Domitian's reign, so this wouldn't be surprising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I think the generalized hypothesis makes more sense given the time of issue, and it also seems a more reasonable target for propaganda... presumably many handlers of the coin wouldn't know about the canal specifically, but they <i>would</i> know something about <b>Trajan taming and securing the Danube</b>.</p><p><br /></p><p>A few related coins:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]792630[/ATTACH]</p><p>This sestertius was issued at the very end of Trajan's reign, and you can see by the (very long!) obverse inscription that the conquest of Dacia was still regarded as one of his greatest achievements: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER <b>DAC</b> PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next, a (later) coin from Trajan's foes:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]792631[/ATTACH]</p><p>Stylistically, this coin almost certainly came from the area occupied by the Roxolani, the Dacians' Sarmatian allies. Archaeologically, the coins are associated with the Chernyakhov culture, thought to be comprised of some mix of Sarmatian, Geto-Dacian, Gothic and Slavic populations; it's possible to find some imitations of Trajan among them. (Starting <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-and-last-goths.291979/page-2#post-3074850" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-and-last-goths.291979/page-2#post-3074850">here</a>, the Taman Goth thread began exploring these interesting coins.)</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=51347]@Alegandron[/USER] posted this one, but didn't elaborate on the representation of Dacia on the reverse, including the draco used by the Sarmatian tribes, a symbol probably passed along through the steppes all the way from China:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]792632[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Whoah. Justice? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie12" alt="o_O" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So Augustus just got lucky? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie52" alt=":hilarious:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Best emperor? Severus Alexander. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie8" alt=":D" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> (No, seriously! He was a mild mannered, judicious, peaceful young guy who avoided mass murder and respected the wisdom of his advisors! It's just a shame his advisors weren't a bit better, and that the army wasn't filled with a bunch of murderous jerks. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie7" alt=":p" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 3117738, member: 84744"]OK, this is a great coin and a super-premium writeup, even for Curtisimo. Thank you!! I love how you get us to think about the evidence and answer an interesting question for ourselves, even if most of us are amateurs. :) I voted for #4 (something else), though if I had been forced to pick one of the other three, it would have been your hypothesis about the canal. My version of 4 is really just a generalized version of your canal hypothesis, a version which you elucidate nicely in your article, even if it wasn't one of the voting options: it celebrates Trajan's consolidation and Romanization of the Danube as a safe and navigable limes and trade route. Part of that is due to the canal, of course, but it's also due to the conquest of Dacia more generally and other construction projects (including forts and the road) along the river. With Danube's hand on the ship, perhaps the coin emphasizes the naval aspects like the Roman navy on the river, and a brisk trade. ([URL='http://danube.travel/main-menu/highlights/roman-emperors-/the-roman-imperial-fleet-on-the-danube.410.html']Here's[/URL] a brief description of the importance of the Roman imperial fleet on the Danube.) Do you know if there was any problem with piracy on the river prior to Trajan's measures to enhance security? I know it was a problem in the Black Sea in Domitian's reign, so this wouldn't be surprising. Anyway, I think the generalized hypothesis makes more sense given the time of issue, and it also seems a more reasonable target for propaganda... presumably many handlers of the coin wouldn't know about the canal specifically, but they [I]would[/I] know something about [B]Trajan taming and securing the Danube[/B]. A few related coins: [ATTACH=full]792630[/ATTACH] This sestertius was issued at the very end of Trajan's reign, and you can see by the (very long!) obverse inscription that the conquest of Dacia was still regarded as one of his greatest achievements: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER [B]DAC[/B] PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P. Next, a (later) coin from Trajan's foes: [ATTACH=full]792631[/ATTACH] Stylistically, this coin almost certainly came from the area occupied by the Roxolani, the Dacians' Sarmatian allies. Archaeologically, the coins are associated with the Chernyakhov culture, thought to be comprised of some mix of Sarmatian, Geto-Dacian, Gothic and Slavic populations; it's possible to find some imitations of Trajan among them. (Starting [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-first-and-last-goths.291979/page-2#post-3074850']here[/URL], the Taman Goth thread began exploring these interesting coins.) [USER=51347]@Alegandron[/USER] posted this one, but didn't elaborate on the representation of Dacia on the reverse, including the draco used by the Sarmatian tribes, a symbol probably passed along through the steppes all the way from China: [ATTACH=full]792632[/ATTACH] Whoah. Justice? o_O So Augustus just got lucky? :hilarious: Best emperor? Severus Alexander. :D (No, seriously! He was a mild mannered, judicious, peaceful young guy who avoided mass murder and respected the wisdom of his advisors! It's just a shame his advisors weren't a bit better, and that the army wasn't filled with a bunch of murderous jerks. :p)[/QUOTE]
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