Trajan's sixth consulship, held from 112 AD until his death in 117, coincided with the Parthian campaign — arguably the most ambitious Roman military undertaking since Augustus. The S.P.Q.R. formula in the legend signals senatorial authorization, a deliberate constitutional gesture Trajan cultivated throughout his reign to distinguish himself from Domitian's memory.
Felicitas on the reverse carried specific political freight in this period: less abstract good fortune, more a claim that Roman prosperity flowed directly from successful eastern conquest. Trajan died at Selinus in Cilicia before reaching Rome again.
Trajan's sixth consulship, held from 112 AD until his death in 117, coincided with the Parthian campaign — arguably the most ambitious Roman military undertaking since Augustus. The S.P.Q.R. formula in the legend signals senatorial authorization, a deliberate constitutional gesture Trajan cultivated throughout his reign to distinguish himself from Domitian's memory.
Felicitas on the reverse carried specific political freight in this period: less abstract good fortune, more a claim that Roman prosperity flowed directly from successful eastern conquest. Trajan died at Selinus in Cilicia before reaching Rome again.