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Sestertius - Trajan S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI S C, Salus
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 103-111 |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Emperor Trajan facing right, draped and cuirassed, rendered in bold high relief characteristic of Trajanic imperial portraiture. The emperor's strong, idealized profile features a closely cropped laureate wreath. The encircling legend runs clockwise from the lower left along the coin's periphery, naming Trajan with his full imperial titulature. The bust displays fine detail in the drapery and cuirass, consistent with the accomplished die-cutting of the Rome Mint during this period. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P (Translation: Imperator, Caesar, Nervae Traiano Augustus, Germanicus, Dacicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Consul Quintum, Pater Patriae. Supreme commander (Imperator), Caesar, of Nerva Trajan, emperor (Augustus), conqueror of the Germans, conqueror of the Dacians, high priest, holder of tribunician power, consul for the fifth time, father of the nation.) |
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| Additional information |
Salus — goddess of welfare and public health — appeared on Trajanic bronze issues with particular frequency during the years bracketing his Dacian campaigns, a period when imperial propaganda tied the health of the state explicitly to military success abroad. The S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI reverse legend, unique to Trajan among the emperors, was not a casual honorific: the Senate formally voted him the title *Optimus* around 114 AD, though it appears on coinage somewhat earlier, suggesting the title was in informal use before its official ratification.