Trajan. Rome in AD 117.

Trajan. Rome in AD 117. 3.30 g and measures 18 mm in diameter. Obverse legend IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC surrounds a laureate, draped bust facing right. Reverse legend P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R encircles Mars advancing right, grasping a spear in his right hand and a trophy over his left shoulder. Strike quality is typically high for the issue, with centrally aligned dies; surviving pieces show light cabinet toning. Standard reference: RIC II Trajan 334. Recorded hoards confirm a moderately wide circulation.

Struck as Trajan prepared for his succession arrangements, this type proclaims his formal titles and celebrates Rome's martial virtues through the figure of Mars. Issued during the brief OPTIMVS phase of his titulature, it reflects the emperor's consolidation after the Second Dacian War and precedes the transition to Hadrian, circulating widely across the empire.