Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 135 21 Nov 2022
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The Roman Empire. Trajan, 98 – 117.
Aureus 114, AV 7.14 g. IMP TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. AVGVSTI Trajan on horseback r., holding spear; behind, three soldiers and in front, another soldier with shield and spear. In exergue, PROFECTIO. C 40 var. (not cuirassed). BMC 512. RIC 297. CBN –. Woytek 496f. Calicó 986.
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, possibly the finest specimen
known. A very attractive portrait of fine style and a very appealing
reverse type. Good extremely fine
Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was born at Italica in Spain and after several important military victories, he was eventually appointed governor of Upper Germany by Nerva who later adopted him as the heir to the throne. On his succession, Trajan decided that the time was ripe for territorial expansion and he successfully undertook the conquest of Dacia which then became a Roman province. In the latter part of his reign, Trajan turned his attention to the Eastern frontier. Trajan departed from Rome in October, 113, to launch his last great campaign in the East. After rejecting a proposal by a Parthian embassy in Athens, Trajan moved onto Antioch, where he wintered in preparation for the anticipated Armenian campaign of 114. After the successful conclusion of this initial campaign, Trajan once again wintered in Antioch, and in the spring of 115 led his army into northern Mesopotamia and Adiabene; he found success in both places and added the former to the Empire. Trajan's greatest triumph, however, did not come until 116, when he once again left Antioch, initially to revisit Adiabene, and then to march down the Tigris and sack the Parthian capital Ctesiphon. The campaign was an enormous success: the capital was stripped of its legendary wealth and by mid-116 the defeat of Parthia seemed complete. Afterward, Trajan felt sufficiently secure to make a brief excursion to the Persian Gulf. However, he soon realized his gains were ephemeral, and in an effort to preserve some control over the Parthians he installed the pro-Roman king Parthamaspates on the throne, but his puppet-king did not fare well. At the end of Trajan's long and productive life, he witnessed the consequences of his decades of expansionism, as revolts erupted in Armenia, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, Egypt, Cyrene, western North Africa and the Empire's northern borders in Europe. Before Trajan could march westward to address some of these uprisings, he died while encamped in Cilicia. His successor, Hadrian, scaled back Trajan's expanded empire to a more manageable size and as a result enjoyed a relatively peaceful reign. The profectio type illustrated on this aureus refers to the departure of Trajan from Rome, the occasion that marked the opening of the Parthian campaign. An innovative composition is present on the coin: Trajan, in military dress, clasping a spear, rides on horseback surrounded by soldiers. Whereas traditional coin reverse types typically featured two figures, here the emperor is seen accompanied by and interacting directly with his subjects in a much larger compositional scene.
Graded AU Strike 5/5 Surface 3/5 Fine Style, NGC certification number 6556714-010
Aureus 114, AV 7.14 g. IMP TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. AVGVSTI Trajan on horseback r., holding spear; behind, three soldiers and in front, another soldier with shield and spear. In exergue, PROFECTIO. C 40 var. (not cuirassed). BMC 512. RIC 297. CBN –. Woytek 496f. Calicó 986.
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, possibly the finest specimen
known. A very attractive portrait of fine style and a very appealing
reverse type. Good extremely fine
Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was born at Italica in Spain and after several important military victories, he was eventually appointed governor of Upper Germany by Nerva who later adopted him as the heir to the throne. On his succession, Trajan decided that the time was ripe for territorial expansion and he successfully undertook the conquest of Dacia which then became a Roman province. In the latter part of his reign, Trajan turned his attention to the Eastern frontier. Trajan departed from Rome in October, 113, to launch his last great campaign in the East. After rejecting a proposal by a Parthian embassy in Athens, Trajan moved onto Antioch, where he wintered in preparation for the anticipated Armenian campaign of 114. After the successful conclusion of this initial campaign, Trajan once again wintered in Antioch, and in the spring of 115 led his army into northern Mesopotamia and Adiabene; he found success in both places and added the former to the Empire. Trajan's greatest triumph, however, did not come until 116, when he once again left Antioch, initially to revisit Adiabene, and then to march down the Tigris and sack the Parthian capital Ctesiphon. The campaign was an enormous success: the capital was stripped of its legendary wealth and by mid-116 the defeat of Parthia seemed complete. Afterward, Trajan felt sufficiently secure to make a brief excursion to the Persian Gulf. However, he soon realized his gains were ephemeral, and in an effort to preserve some control over the Parthians he installed the pro-Roman king Parthamaspates on the throne, but his puppet-king did not fare well. At the end of Trajan's long and productive life, he witnessed the consequences of his decades of expansionism, as revolts erupted in Armenia, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, Egypt, Cyrene, western North Africa and the Empire's northern borders in Europe. Before Trajan could march westward to address some of these uprisings, he died while encamped in Cilicia. His successor, Hadrian, scaled back Trajan's expanded empire to a more manageable size and as a result enjoyed a relatively peaceful reign. The profectio type illustrated on this aureus refers to the departure of Trajan from Rome, the occasion that marked the opening of the Parthian campaign. An innovative composition is present on the coin: Trajan, in military dress, clasping a spear, rides on horseback surrounded by soldiers. Whereas traditional coin reverse types typically featured two figures, here the emperor is seen accompanied by and interacting directly with his subjects in a much larger compositional scene.
Graded AU Strike 5/5 Surface 3/5 Fine Style, NGC certification number 6556714-010