4848 [Homebutton][Shopping Header] Item Sold At Auction #23 ----------------------------------- Lot Number: 61720 Estimate: $75.00 Final Sale Price: $67.10 ----------------------------------- Denomination: Dupondius Grade: Good Fine mottled green patina Reference: RIC II 623a var. (draped); BMCRE 990 var.; Cohen 127 var Trajan. 98-117 AD. Æ Dupondius (12.83 gm). Struck 107 AD. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, radiate bust right, slight drapery on left shoulder / DACIA AVGVST, PROVINCIA/S C in exergue, Dacia seated left on rock, holding aquila; beside and before her, small children holding grain and grapes respectively. RIC II 623a var. (draped); BMCRE 990 var. (same); Cohen 127 var. (same). Near VF, mottled green patina, rough surfaces, corrosion. Very Rare. Estimate $75. The two decades of Trajan's reign were filled with military conquests and glory. The emperor made no secret of his ambition to emulate the great conquerors of the past, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. In later times the period of his rule was looked back upon as a golden age, the mid-3rd century emperor Decius even assuming the name of Trajan on his accession in the vain hope of reviving past glories at a time of crisis. For the last time in her history, Rome added to her empire by military conquest. The kingdom of Dacia, north of the Danube, was annexed as a province in 106 following the defeat and death of King Decebalus. This achievement was commemorated by the famous Column of Trajan erected in his new Forum and by coin types such as this dupondius depicting the province personified. The territories north of the Danube were eventually abandoned by Aurelian in 270 following the great Gothic invasions of the mid-3rd century. Used by permission of CNG, www.historicalcoins.com