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Æ33 - Trajan L ΙΘ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
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| Year | 115-116 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped bust of Emperor Trajan facing right, rendered in the provincial style characteristic of Alexandrian coinage. The laureate wreath is visible atop the head, with drapery evident at the truncation of the shoulder. A Greek imperial legend encircles the bust, partially legible due to wear, running along the periphery of the flan. The flan is irregular in shape and the surfaces are worn, with the portrait remaining identifiable in moderate relief. The overall style reflects the Alexandrian mint's adaptation of official Roman imperial portraiture. |
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤ ΤΡΑΙΑΝ ΑΡΙ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚΙΚ (ΠΑΡ?) (Translation: Emperor Trajan, the Best, Augustus Germanicus Dacicus Parthicus) |
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| Additional information |
Year 19 of Trajan's reign corresponded to a moment of maximum imperial overreach — Roman forces were simultaneously pushing into Mesopotamia and suppressing a massive Jewish revolt across Egypt, Cyprus, and Cyrene known as the Kitos War. Alexandria itself was badly destabilized by that revolt, with significant destruction reported in the city. That the Alexandrian mint continued producing dated bronzes through this turbulence is itself a minor logistical fact worth noting.
Egyptian provincial bronzes of this size were demonetized and largely melted after Diocletian's currency reforms of 296 AD, which accounts for the survival gaps in the series.