PORTVM TRAIANI: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE IMAGERY OF TRAJAN'S HARBOUR AT PORTUS

Abstract

This is a collaborative in-depth study of Trajan's sestertii with a bird's-eye view of the harbour at Portus (RIC 631–2), struck in AD 112–14. It is based on a new numismatic analysis of the coin type, featuring a corpus of 46 specimens and a critical study of their reverse dies, as well as on recent archaeological research at the port that allows for a better understanding of the harbour buildings and their chronology. The article provides the first detailed comparison of the structures shown on the nine reverse dies with those on the ground. The new interdisciplinary assessment of the evidence leads to a new hypothesis regarding the occasion of the coin issue: it probably commemorated the inauguration of the harbour's distinctive hexagonal basin, through which the new port facility became operational.