Trajan, 98-117. Sestertius (Orichalcum, 33 mm, 25.74 g, 6 h), Rome, 114-116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P Laureate and draped bust of Trajan to right, seen from behind. Rev. IMPERATOR VIIII / S C Trajan seated right on sella castrensis set on high platform, two officers at his side, haranguing a group of five soldiers who hold a horse, two signa and an aquila; before platform, lictor with fasces standing right. BMC 1019. Cohen 178. RIC 658. Woytek 549v. Somewhat rough, otherwise, good very fine.


Trajan was the first - and only - Roman emperor to be granted the title Optimus Princeps by the Senate, and with good reason. A moderate ruler and a highly accomplished general, he maintained a strong relationship with the Senate and led the empire to its greatest territorial extent, annexing Dacia in the north and reaching the Persian Gulf in the east. The reverse of this impressive sestertius depicts Trajan seated on a platform, addressing his troops as he is proclaimed imperator. Such acclamations were typically awarded following military victories and were carefully numbered. In the case of the present coin, it commemorates Trajan’s eighth acclamation, likely received after the fall of Singara in 115 during his Parthian campaign.