Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 919. Estimate $2500.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $3750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

TRAJAN. 98-117 AD. Æ Sestertius (27.01 gm). Struck 116 AD. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate and draped bust right, seen from behind / REGNA ADSIGNATA, S C in exergue, Trajan, in miltary outfit, seated left on camp bench set on daïs, extending hand to three barbarian kings, the foremost of whom extends his hands to Trajan; two military figures, one holding baton and sceptre, standing behind Trajan. RIC II 666; Strack 475z; BMCRE 1043; Banti 91; Cohen 325. Near EF, green and brown patina, hairline crack from edge bump. ($2500)

Parthian interference in Armenia prompted Trajan to declare war against Osroes I in 114 AD. He quickly re-established Roman control of Armenia and, turning south, forced the submission of Osrhoene, and in 116 AD took Mesopotamia by defeating Osroes I. Who the specific kings are here remains a matter of conjecture. In addition to the paucity of the sources referring to these events, Armenia was converted to a Roman province and Mesopotamia's puppet-king, Parthamaspates, is specifically commemorated by its own issue (see lots 920 and 921 below). It is possible that Trajan, in order to secure the loyalty of the territories he conquered, handed back to the existing kings their kingdoms after first swearing loyalty to Rome. Through this ceremony then, Trajan was technically "assigning" new kingdoms.