Continuation

The history of our coin didn’t stop there. Marcellinus could not be aware of this when he issued this coin, but his production would continue to play an important role in the political life of Rome for centuries.

The Roman Emperor Trajan, who reigned from 98 to 117 CE, issued coins with images taken from previous coinage. He was said to be very interested in commemorating the glory of Rome through the ages, so in this so-called “restituted” money, he chose to present important moments from Roman history. In a way, he “may be regarded as one of the first to recognize Numismatics as an aid to History”Harold Mattingly & Edward A. Sydenham, Roman Imperial Coinage II (London, 1968): 303. Worldcat

One such restituted coin bears an identical image and inscription with our coin. The only difference is the addition of the imperial titulature, as the emperor now becomes the center of power. The reasons Trajan thought this was an important coin to restitute are unknown. What we do know, however, is that by issuing this coin, Trajan was not only connecting with the founding myth of Rome and its successful military history, but also with the events that lead to the creation of the Roman Empire, namely the civil wars of Caesar and the events that followed.