This piece dates to Trajan's twentieth regnal year by Egyptian reckoning — L Κ marking year 20 of his reign — placing it squarely in the final phase of his life, during the Parthian campaign that stretched Roman territorial ambitions to their furthest eastern extent. Trajan died in August 117 before returning to Rome, and Hadrian reversed virtually every eastern annexation within months. Alexandrian bronzes from this year were struck under a provincial system that ran on its own calendar and closed each issue year at the end of Pharmouthi, making tight year-attribution unusually reliable compared to Roman imperial mint output.
This piece dates to Trajan's twentieth regnal year by Egyptian reckoning — L Κ marking year 20 of his reign — placing it squarely in the final phase of his life, during the Parthian campaign that stretched Roman territorial ambitions to their furthest eastern extent. Trajan died in August 117 before returning to Rome, and Hadrian reversed virtually every eastern annexation within months. Alexandrian bronzes from this year were struck under a provincial system that ran on its own calendar and closed each issue year at the end of Pharmouthi, making tight year-attribution unusually reliable compared to Roman imperial mint output.