Aureus of Trajan

Coin

-

Trimontium Museum

Image © National Museums Scotland

Image © National Museums Scotland

Name/Title

Aureus of Trajan

Entry/Object ID

H.C11718

Description

Gold aureus of Trajan, Rome, AD 114 - 117, found at Newstead. Struck in Rome, ref number RIC 310. Bust of Trajan, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right. IMP TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P / Trajan seated left on platform, along with prefect and five soldiers, three are carrying standards, the King of Parthia submits to Trajan with bent knees.

Use

Standard circulation coin.

Context

This commemorates an event in Trajan's Parthian war when he received the submission of Parthamasiris who had claimed to be King of Armenia, an area that was contested between Rome and Parthia. The Romans saw this as the acceptance by the Parthians of Rome's superiority; Trajan went on to wage a military campaign against them. Trajan (born September 15?, AD 53, Italica, Baetica [now in Spain] - died August 8/9, AD 117, Selinus, Cilicia [now in Turkey]) was a Roman emperor (AD 98–117) who sought to extend the boundaries of the empire to the east (notably in Dacia, Arabia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia), undertook a vast building program, and enlarged social welfare.

Collection

National Museums Scotland

Category

Coin
Numismatics

Acquisition

Accession

H.C11718

Source (if not Accessioned)

National Museums Scotland

Mintage

Mint

Rome

Time Period

2nd century

Place of Origin

* Untyped Place of Origin

Rome

Coin Details

Obverse

Description

IMP TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P; laureate draped cuirassed bust right

Transcription

Imperator Traiano Optimo Augustus, Germanicus, Dacicus, Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate.

Translation

Supreme commander (Imperator), of Trajan, the best emperor (Augustus), conqueror of the Germans, conqueror of the Dacians, high priest, holder of tribunician power.

Reverse

Description

REX PARTHVS in exergue; Trajan laureate and in military uniform, seated left on platform -camp bench set on daïs- , attended by prefect - behind, standing left-, receiving Parthamasiris with bent knees; 5 soldiers standing around king, holding shields, spears and, 3 carrying legionary standards. Calicó 1082, Cohen 329v.

Transcription

REX PARTHVS

Translation

King of Parthia

Edge

Edge Type

Plain/Smooth

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Europe

Culture/Tribe

Roman

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Coin

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Money

Nomenclature Class

Exchange Media

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

aurei

Other Names

Name Type

Loan Number

Other Name

L.2025.1

Dimensions

Diameter

19 mm

Weight

6.99 g

Composition

Material

Gold

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Richmond, Ian Archibald

Notes

Found during the 1947 excavations at the site of the Roman fort of Trimontium.

Web Links and URLs

"Excavations at the Roman Fort of Newstead, 1947" by Ian Richmond, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 84, pp1-38, H.C11718 Coin, 1 aureus - National Museums Scotland Collection

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Ian Richmond Excavations 1947

Exhibition

Money Speaks: Roman Coinage tells the story of the Roman invasions of Scotland

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Exhibition Caption

Label

Gold aureus of Trajan (AD 98-117), found at Trimontium. It represents the king of Persia (Rex Parthus) kissing Trajan’s feet in submission with legionary standard bearers in the background. On loan from National Museums Scotland.

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Imperial Propaganda in Your Pocket: Roman Coins as Messages of Power Ancient Rome was one of the earliest empires to harness mass communication in support of its political and military ambitions. Long before television or social media, the Romans spread their messages using something far more tangible—coins. Ubiquitous and portable, coins offered a powerful platform for imperial propaganda. From the reign of Augustus in 27 BC, Roman coins routinely featured the emperor’s portrait on one side and symbolic imagery or slogans on the other. These reverse designs changed frequently, reflecting military victories, divine favour, or public works—whatever narrative best served the emperor’s agenda at the time. In effect, coins became miniature billboards of state messaging, rapidly disseminated across the empire. Modern historians and numismatists can now decode these messages, linking them to specific campaigns and political events. They offer an extraordinary lens into how Rome presented itself to its subjects—and how it justified expansion, conquest, and control.