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Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Trajan

A work made of gold.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of gold.

Date:

114-115, issued by Trajan

Artist:

Roman; minted in Rome

About this artwork

Obverse: Bust of Trajan right, laureate, wearing cuirass and paludamentum
Reverse: Trajan, seated on sella castrensis on raised dais, hand resting on parazonium, with two officers standing behind him, establishes three client kings dressed in trousers

The Roman Empire, which flourished from 27 B.C. to A.D. 410, was ruled by a variety of emperors, some who inherited the throne and some who seized it. As rulers came and went, it was important to announce the transition of power quickly. Since the Mint regularly struck coins to pay the armies stationed throughout the empire, it was easy to change the portrait, revise names in the inscription, and publish the news.
During the reign of the emperor Trajan, Rome reached the apogee of its power and territory. Wars of expansion extended the empire from Scotland in the north to Egypt and Gibraltar in the south and east to the Euphrates River. This rare coin was minted during his conquest of Parthia and Armenia. Instead of victory, however, the newly pacified territories soon rose in revolt, ending in Rome’s retreat and Trajan’s death.

Status

On View, Gallery 153

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Trajan

Place

Rome (Minted in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

114 CE–115 CE

Medium

Gold

Inscriptions

Obverse: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC Reverse: REGNA.ADSIGNATA

Dimensions

Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Martin A. Ryerson

Reference Number

1922.4871

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/5632/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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