Trajan Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 103-104. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate bust to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / S•P•Q•R• OPTIMO PRINCIPI, a view of the Circus Maximus, displaying the outer colonnade with two arched gateways surmounted by facing quadriga on right and a further gateway surmounted by quadriga moving to right on left, and a partial view of interior with the central great obelisk, flanked by metae at either end of the spina with arches and statue between, being approached by two racing quadriga exiting the starting gates at right, with a sweep of colonnades behind and pulvinar to the upper left; SC in exergue. RIC II -, cf. 571; C. -, cf. 545-6; Woytek 175b; BMCRE -, cf. 853-6. 26.95g, 35mm, 7h.

Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare; only 9 other examples on CoinArchives.

Acquired from Heritage World Coin Auctions.

Nestled beautifully between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the majestic Circus Maximus is said to have been inaugurated by the fifth king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus, in the 6th Century BC. (Livy, Ad Urbe Condita, I.35) One of the city’s oldest attractions, it truly rose to eminence during the late Republic; Marius, Pompey and Caesar frequently organised gladiatorial, chariot-racing and seasonal games to honour Jupiter (Ludi Romani) at the site.

At its zenith during the middle of the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder states that as many as 250,000 Romans regularly crammed into the complex to behold its spectacles (Encyclopaedia, XXXVI.102), though modern scholars estimate that capacity was closer to 150,000. With such overcrowding inevitably came disaster, however, and the Circus endured countless fires, most notably in 31 BC, AD 64 and 80.

It was after the particularly catastrophic fire of AD 103 that this present issue, seemingly unpublished in the prevailing reference works, was struck to commemorate Trajan’s elaborate refurbishment of the site. A spectacularly detailed work of numismatic design, it was the first coin to display the Circus in its entirety, and along with an analogous type (see RIC II 571) it has proven invaluable to modern scholars hoping to gauge the scope of Trajan’s extensive building works.

Of specific note is the arcaded façade, which received a marble facelift, and the extended grandstand in the background, which allowed for five thousand extra spectators. The Arch of Titus (not to be confused with the one still standing in the Forum) can also be observed to the east, whilst the Temple of Sol, surmounted by a bust of the deity, appears to the upper left. The most dominant feature of the overall design, though, is without doubt the so-called Flaminio Obelisk (today located in the Piazza del Popolo) which is situated on the spina. The monument was originally erected in Heliopolis by pharaoh Ramesses II, before being brought across from newly annexed Egypt by Augustus in 30 BC. Towering over the track and spectators, the monument was so awe-inspiring that the later scholar Isidore of Seville adjudged it to be an ‘arrow running through the middle of the world’ (Etymologies, XVIII).

Of the overall project, Cassius Dio, an admirer of Trajan, states that:

‘He (Trajan) was so high-minded and generous that, after enlarging and embellishing the Circus, which had crumbled away in places, he merely inscribed on it a statement that he had made it adequate for the Roman people.’ (Roman History, LVIII.7.2) Interestingly, this type was struck solely in bronze, no doubt on account of the wider circulation of sestertii among the Roman populous.

Sadly, but perhaps predictably, this iteration of the Circus was not to endure for long. In 140, during the reign of Antoninus Pius, a column near the top tier of the seating area collapsed, killing perhaps 2,000 spectators instantly. This time recovery was slow, and only when Caracalla completed another renovation in 213 did it again come close to its former glory (see RIC IV 211b).