Æ26 - Trajan L Δ

Regnal year 4 of Trajan's reign — the "L Δ" date marker — places this issue squarely in the early consolidation of his principate, before the Dacian campaigns consumed the empire's attention and resources. Alexandria's municipal bronze coinage operated on a closed currency system: provincials could not import or export Roman silver, forcing all small commerce through locally struck bronzes like this one. The Alexandrian mint was one of the most prolific in the Roman world, and year 4 issues are well represented in the archaeological record from the Fayum.