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Sestertius - Trajan COS II P P CONG P R S C, Libertas
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 98-99 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 25.2 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A congiarium scene depicting Trajan seated left on a raised tribunal platform with steps descending to the right, before which a togate male citizen approaches to receive the imperial largess. A military officer is seated below the platform. Behind Trajan stands the personification of Libertas holding a pileus (freedman's cap) and accompanied by a tripod. The composition conveys the emperor's role as generous benefactor of the Roman people. The legend and senatorial S C mark frame the scene. |
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| Additional information |
Struck in the first two years of Trajan's reign, this sestertius dates to a moment when the new emperor was actively consolidating popular support after Nerva's death in January 98. The reverse type referencing a congiarium — a direct cash distribution to Roman citizens — was not incidental. Trajan staged one of his earliest public gestures of legitimacy through exactly this kind of largesse, and the coin type advertising it was part of the official messaging apparatus.
RIC II 381 is among the earlier Trajanic bronze issues, predating the Dacian campaigns that would dominate his later coinage.