Trajan

The era of the so-called “adoptive emperors” began in the 2nd century AD with Emperor Trajan (98–117 AD), who had previously been adopted by the short-lived and childless Emperor Nerva. Trajan himself also had no male heirs, so towards the end of his life he chose his relative Hadrian as his successor. Trajan successfully waged wars against the Dacians and Parthians, so that the Roman Empire reached its greatest extent under his rule. The portraits are divided into six types, from Type I to III and IV with the variants IVA and IVB. The reason for the change in hairstyle is not always clear, but it is associated with his victories and the assumption of the consulship. His portraits are generally characterized by hair combed simply forward, brushed to the side at the edge of the forehead and, from type III onwards, featuring a fork or hairpins at the center of the forehead. Type IVB, also known as the “Opferbildtypus,” can be found on Trajan’s Column. The monument was completed in 113 AD, but the coin portraits show this type as early as around 109/110 AD (WOYTEK 2010, 363 with fig. 338 u etc.).