Trajan, 98-117. Aureus (Gold, 19 mm, 7.52 g, 6 h), Rome, 98. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM Laureate head of Trajan to right. Rev. PONT MAX TR POT COS II Germania, nude to waist, seated left on pile of shields, resting left arm on hexagonal shield and holding olive branch in her outstretched right hand; below shields, helmet. BMC 8. Calicó 1070. Cohen 290. RIC 15. Woytek 23a. Rare and with a fine pedigree. Struck from a slightly worn reverse die and with minor scratches and edge scuffs, otherwise, good very fine.




This rare aureus of Trajan, struck shortly after his accession to the throne, features a reverse depicting Germania reclining on a pile of hexagonal shields. The iconography references Trajan's involvement in the German campaigns under Domitian, during which he served as governor of Germania and Pannonia and earned distinction for his military achievements. Germania is depicted atop captured German arms, including shields and a helmet, symbolizing her submission to Rome. Her outstretched hand holding an olive branch - a universal emblem of peace - is not the gesture of an equal partner but the compelled offering of a defeated people. This imagery encapsulates a core principle of Roman state ideology: Rome does not seek peace through negotiation but imposes it through conquest and domination.

Although Rome continued to wage wars against various Germanic tribes well into the fifth century, Trajan’s reign marked an era when Germans were increasingly settled along the empire’s borders. Many of their warriors, now subjugated, served as auxiliaries within the Roman legions, reflecting the complex and evolving relationship between Rome and its Germanic neighbors.