Catalog
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| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
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| Year | 112-113 |
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| Diameter | 33 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Trajan facing right, draped and cuirassed, set within a beaded border. The effigy displays the emperor's characteristic close-cropped hair beneath the laurel wreath, with finely rendered facial features typical of Trajanic portraiture from the Alexandrian mint. The Greek legend runs along the periphery of the flan, partially obscured by wear. The overall style reflects the provincial engraving tradition of Roman Egypt, combining Roman imperial iconography with local Alexandrian craftsmanship. |
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| Reverse lettering | L ΙϚ (Translation: of year 16) |
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| Additional information |
Year 16 of Trajan's reign coincided with the emperor's intensive preparations for the Parthian campaign, and Egypt's role as the empire's grain supplier made Alexandria's mint politically indispensable. The city's civic coinage ran on a regnal year system rather than Rome's consular dating, producing a tight chronological record unusual among provincial mints.
The ΙϚ date anchors this piece to 112–113 AD, just before Trajan crossed into Mesopotamia — a war that would briefly push Roman territory to its greatest recorded extent.