Year 13 of Trajan's reign — the Alexandrian mint dated coins by regnal year rather than the Roman consular calendar, making Egyptian provincials among the most precisely datable issues of the entire imperial period. This particular year fell during the buildup to Trajan's first Dacian war commemoration and the early phases of his massive infrastructure programs along the Nile delta.
Alexandria's bronze output in this period was enormous, feeding a monetized provincial economy that Rome managed separately from the rest of the empire under a closed currency system — foreign coins were exchanged at the border and melted.
Year 13 of Trajan's reign — the Alexandrian mint dated coins by regnal year rather than the Roman consular calendar, making Egyptian provincials among the most precisely datable issues of the entire imperial period. This particular year fell during the buildup to Trajan's first Dacian war commemoration and the early phases of his massive infrastructure programs along the Nile delta.
Alexandria's bronze output in this period was enormous, feeding a monetized provincial economy that Rome managed separately from the rest of the empire under a closed currency system — foreign coins were exchanged at the border and melted.