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Aureus - Trajan COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Jupiter and Pax
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 103-111 |
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| Value | 1 Aureus = 25 Denarii |
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| Reverse description | A hexastyle temple facade rendered in fine relief, depicted in frontal elevation with a detailed pediment and columns resting on a stepped podium (stylobate). Within the intercolumniation, two standing figures are visible — identified from the type as Jupiter and Pax — rendered in classical poses. The pediment is decorated with sculptural ornament, and acroteria are indicated at the apex and corners. The reverse legend COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC encircles the design along the periphery in capital letters, proclaiming Trajan consul for the fifth time, Father of the Fatherland, and Optimus Princeps by decree of the Senate and Roman People. |
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| Reverse lettering | COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC (Translation: Consul Quintum, Pater Patriae, Senatus Populusque Romanus, Optimo Principi. Consul for the fifth time, father of the nation. The senate and the Roman people. The best of princes.) |
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| Additional information |
Trajan received the title Optimus Princeps — "best of princes" — by senatorial decree around 114 AD, though its appearance on coinage predates the formal award, reflecting a calculated program of self-presentation that began after the Dacian wars. The SPQR formula invoking the senate and people was a deliberate constitutional gesture, distinguishing Trajan's public image from the more autocratic tone of Domitian's reign immediately preceding his.
RIC II 146 is among the more frequently documented aureii of the series, appearing regularly in hoards associated with the Danubian frontier zone.