Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 398 31 May 2017
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Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 27.04 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 116-117. Laureate and draped bust right / Trajan, laureate and in military attire, standing right, holding reversed spear and parazonium; around feet, Mesopotamia seated left, head right, and the Tigris and Euphrates seated vis-à-vis, each holding reed and leaning on inverted urn from which water flows. RIC II 642; Woytek 590v; Banti 29. Fine, dark green to black patina, smoothed and tooled.
Trajan's final campaign against the Parthians was sparked by Parthia's replacement of the pro-Roman king of Armenia with one of their own in AD 114. Armenia had been a strategic and semi-independent kingdom, which served as an important buffer between Parthia and Rome. The last conflict over this region, during Nero's reign, resulted in a delicate balance that stabilized the situation for over fifty years. The move by Parthia now upset the balance and posed a threat to Rome's wealthy Syrian cities. Trajan's campaign was swift and decisive; by 115, Armenia was restored as a Roman client state. To secure the eastern frontier, he then moved southward through Mesopotamia, and captured the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon, in 116. Although short-lived, these victories were celebrated on much of Trajan's later coinage.
Trajan's final campaign against the Parthians was sparked by Parthia's replacement of the pro-Roman king of Armenia with one of their own in AD 114. Armenia had been a strategic and semi-independent kingdom, which served as an important buffer between Parthia and Rome. The last conflict over this region, during Nero's reign, resulted in a delicate balance that stabilized the situation for over fifty years. The move by Parthia now upset the balance and posed a threat to Rome's wealthy Syrian cities. Trajan's campaign was swift and decisive; by 115, Armenia was restored as a Roman client state. To secure the eastern frontier, he then moved southward through Mesopotamia, and captured the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon, in 116. Although short-lived, these victories were celebrated on much of Trajan's later coinage.