Trajan. AD 98–117. AE Sestertius. Rome, AD 103–111.

Trajan. AD 98–117. AE Sestertius. Rome, AD 103–111. Obv. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate head of Trajan right, with small aegis on shoulder. Rev. S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Trajan on horseback right, thrusting spear at kneeling bound Dacian; in exergue, plain. Bronze, c. 34 mm, c. 25.67 g. RIC II 534. Struck in high relief on a broad cast flan, usually with firm strike and olive to dark brown patina. This impressive sestertius belongs to the great Dacian war series that established Trajan’s reputation as the ideal soldier-emperor. The obverse legend records his full sequence of titles after the conquest of Dacia, including GER and DAC, while OPTIMO PRINCIPI on the reverse acknowledges the honorary title “Best of Princes” formally conferred by the Senate in recognition of his exemplary rule. The reverse shows the emperor mounted, spear in hand, riding down a defeated Dacian captive, who kneels bound at his horse’s feet. It is a powerful piece of imperial propaganda that condenses into a single image the long and difficult campaigns north of the Danube and the complete subjugation of the Dacian kingdom. These large bronzes, handsomely patinated with time, stand among the most evocative narrative issues of Trajan’s reign and embody the military energy and ideological confidence of the early second century Roman Empire.