TRAJAN — ROMAN EMPIRE
AE As — Roma Holding Victory before a Kneeling Dacian
Rome Mint, circa AD 106–107
NGC Ancients: Ch F (Choice Fine)
NGC Certification Number: 8559007-053
Catalog Attribution: RIC II 486 var. (bust type Woytek 252h)
Recorded Diameter: 25.5 mm
Recorded Weight: 9.19 g
Recorded Die Axis: 6h

An ancient Roman bronze as of Emperor Trajan featuring a powerful scene of Dacian submission: Roma standing with Victory and a spear, while a small Dacian kneels before her and raises his hands.

The accompanying catalog records this coin as RIC II 486 var., with the bust type referenced to Woytek 252h, and dates it to circa AD 106–107. That attribution places the issue around the conclusion of Trajan’s second Dacian war and the establishment of Roman rule in part of the conquered territory.

This example is housed in an NGC Ancients holder and graded Ch F, or Choice Fine.

THE OBVERSE — TRAJAN IN IMPERIAL AND MILITARY DRESS

The obverse depicts the laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Trajan facing right, as described in the accompanying catalog.

Each element contributes to the imperial image. The laurel wreath recalls victory and honor, the drapery conveys dignity, and the cuirass—the armor worn over the torso—emphasizes the emperor’s military role.

The portrait presents Trajan as both ruler and commander. That combination is particularly appropriate to a coin whose reverse celebrates the submission of an enemy.

The catalog’s bust reference is useful because differences in portrait treatment can distinguish varieties within otherwise similar reverse types. The attribution supplied here is RIC II 486 var. (bust type Woytek 252h).

THE REVERSE — ROMA RECEIVING DACIAN SUBMISSION

Roma stands facing left, holding a small figure of Victory and a spear. At her feet to the left, a Dacian kneels facing right, raising his hands toward her.

Roma is the divine personification of Rome. Her standing military figure embodies the authority of the city and the empire.

The kneeling Dacian represents a defeated opponent in an attitude of supplication. His raised hands turn the scene into an encounter between the victorious power and the subdued enemy.

The composition deliberately contrasts the commanding presence of Roma with the smaller kneeling figure. It communicates submission through posture, scale, and the relationship between the two figures.

The design does not identify the Dacian as King Decebalus. He is better understood as a symbolic representative of the defeated Dacian enemy.

VICTORY IN ROMA’S HAND

The small figure held by Roma represents Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, associated with the Greek Nike.

Her presence makes the scene’s message explicit. Roma is not merely armed: she holds the embodiment of triumph while receiving Dacian submission.

The spear reinforces military authority, while Victory declares the successful outcome. Together, these attributes create a compact expression of Roman supremacy.

For an ancient viewer, the emperor’s portrait and this reverse would have worked as complementary images: Trajan identified the ruler, and Roma with Victory expressed the success achieved under his government.

DACIA CAPTA, DAC CAP, DACICA, AND DACIAN CAPTIVE IMAGERY

This coin belongs within the wider historical context of Trajan’s Dacian victory coinage, a collecting field associated with terms such as Dacia Capta, DAC CAP, DACICA, and Dacian captive imagery.

“Dacia Capta” means “Dacia captured.” The abbreviation DAC CAP occurs on related issues depicting a mourning Dacian seated among captured arms and armor.

“DACICA” appears on the shield in other Trajanic designs showing Victory writing upon it. Those coins communicate Dacian victory through an inscription rather than through the kneeling scene offered here.

The Latin word “captivus” means captive. The collector expression “Dacian captivus” connects with representations of defeated or captive Dacians, although this particular figure is shown kneeling in submission rather than visibly bound.

These related terms help explain the historical collecting context. The specific reverse of this coin remains Roma holding Victory before a kneeling Dacian; DAC CAP and DACICA are not presented as inscriptions on this example.

THE DACIAN WARS AND DECEBALUS

Trajan fought two major wars against Dacia, in AD 101–102 and AD 105–106. The Dacian king Decebalus was a formidable opponent whose kingdom lay beyond the lower Danube, in a region overlapping parts of modern Romania.

The first war ended in a settlement. Renewed conflict led to a second campaign, requiring substantial Roman military organization and engineering.

The second war ended with Decebalus’s defeat and death, followed by the establishment of a Roman province in part of Dacia.

The supplied date of circa AD 106–107 gives this reverse a particularly meaningful setting. The kneeling figure expresses the outcome Rome wished to celebrate: victory, submission, and the extension of imperial authority.

This is the Roman presentation of conquest. For modern collectors, the same image also recalls the people whose defeat transformed the history of Dacia.

TRAJAN’S LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Marcus Ulpius Traianus ruled from AD 98 to 117. Born at Italica in Roman Spain, he developed a distinguished military career before Emperor Nerva adopted him as successor.

Traditionally counted among the “Five Good Emperors,” Trajan is remembered for military leadership, public construction, and administration.

His achievements included roads, harbors, major public buildings, and assistance for children in Italian communities. The bridge across the Danube associated with his Dacian campaigns was an extraordinary engineering undertaking described by the ancient historian Cassius Dio.

Trajan’s Forum and Column in Rome gave monumental expression to his reign. The Column commemorated the Dacian wars through an extensive sculptural narrative.

This bronze as belongs to the same broader tradition of celebrating imperial success. Where the Column unfolds the campaigns across many scenes, the coin communicates submission through a single encounter between Roma and a kneeling Dacian.

NGC LABEL AND CONDITION

The NGC label identifies the coin as:

ROMAN EMPIRE
Trajan, AD 98–117
AE As
rv Roma hldg. Victory before kneeling Dacian
Ch F
8559007-053

“AE” is the numismatic abbreviation used for copper-alloy coinage, and the as was a Roman bronze denomination. “rv” means reverse, while “hldg.” means holding.

The letters S C on the reverse abbreviate Senatus Consulto, traditionally translated as “by decree of the Senate.”

The coin displays wear, rough and uneven surfaces, dark gray-green and brown patina, and contrasting exposed metal. Portions of the inscriptions and smaller details are faint. Please examine all photographs carefully.

The measurements and attribution above come from the accompanying catalog record. The grade stated in this listing is the current NGC assessment: Choice Fine.

NGC Certification Number: 8559007-053.

You will receive the exact coin and NGC holder shown in the photographs.