Trajan, 98-117, Tetradrachm

Trajan, Tetradrachm, AR, AD 98–117 (minted AD 112–113), 14.28 g, 26 mm. Antioch on the Orontes, Syria. Obverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙϹ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ; laureate head of Trajan right. Reverse: ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ ΙΖ ΥΠΑΤ Ϛ; eagle standing facing on thunderbolt, head left, wings spread, wreath in beak. Struck at Antioch on a broad provincial flan; Greek imperial legends date the issue to tribunician power XVII and consulship VI. RPC III 3545.

Issued at the provincial capital of Syria, this tetradrachm represents the principal silver currency of the eastern provinces under Trajan. The Greek titulature records Trajan’s tribunician power XVII and sixth consulship, fixing the coin to AD 112–113, immediately prior to the eastern campaigns that followed. The eagle on thunderbolt reflects the standard Antiochene type tied to Zeus/Jupiter, while the denomination’s weight and module adhere to the long-standing Syro-Phoenician tetradrachm standard used for military payroll and regional commerce.