Denarius - Trajan S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI VIA TRAIANA, Via Trajana

The Via Traiana, completed around 109 AD, cut a new coastal route through southern Italy from Beneventum to Brundisium, shaving considerable distance off the older Appian Way. Trajan commemorated the road on coinage — an unusual choice that reflects how seriously he treated infrastructure as a political achievement rather than mere administration. The SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI legend, adopted formally after 114 AD, places these pieces at the intersection of two distinct propaganda campaigns running simultaneously from the Roman mint.