Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ Sestertius (33.5mm, 26.61 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck after 20 February AD 116-August 117. Laureate and draped bust right / Trajan, wearing military attire, standing facing, head right, holding reversed spear and parazonium; around feet, Armenia, Tigris, and Euphrates: to right, Armenia resting hand on head flanked by Euphrates and Tigris, both reclining on urn from which water flows and holding reed. RIC II 642; Woytek 590v–2; Banti 30. Brown patina, numerous cleaning/smoothing scratches, areas of pitting and roughness, edge filing. Near VF.

Trajan's final campaign against the Parthians was sparked by Parthia's replacement of the pro-Roman king of Armenia with one of their own in AD 114. Armenia had been a strategic and semi-independent kingdom which served as an important buffer between Parthia and Rome. The last conflict over this region, during Nero's reign, resulted in a delicate balance that stabilized the situation for over fifty years. The move by Parthia now upset the balance and posed a threat to Rome's wealthy Syrian cities. Trajan’s campaign was swift and decisive; by 115, Armenia was restored as a Roman client state. To secure the eastern frontier, he then moved southward through Mesopotamia, and captured the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon, in 116. Although short-lived, these victories were celebrated on much of Trajan's later coinage.

Closing Date and Time: 5 February 2025 at 13:02:20 ET.

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