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Aureus - Trajan S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 98-117 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | FORVM TRAIAN (Translation: Forum Traiani. Trajan`s Forum.) |
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| Additional information |
Trajan's aurei bearing the OPTIMO PRINCIPI legend reflect a deliberate political maneuver: the title "Optimus" — Best — was formally voted to him by the Senate in 114 AD, though it had appeared on his coinage considerably earlier, a subtle piece of self-promotion dressed as senatorial acclamation. No emperor before him had claimed the title officially, and none after would successfully appropriate it.
RIC II 379 falls within Trajan's Dacian war issues, struck as Roman armies were dismantling the kingdom of Decebalus and looting what ancient sources describe as an extraordinary concentration of gold and silver from Sarmizegetusa.