Roman Empire – Diva Marciana, Rome, AD 113–114

A public expression of his devotion to his family, Trajan’s relatives were portrayed on his coinage to an extent not seen since the Julio-Claudian emperors. Both his natural father Marcus Ulpius Traianus and adoptive father Nerva are commemorated on his coinage, and Trajan also extended the honour to his living relatives, namely his sister Marciana, his wife Plotina and his niece Matidia.

Trajan and his elder sister Marciana maintained a particularly close relationship, and the deep affection that existed between them is evident in Trajan’s decision to award her the title of Augusta, the first sister of an emperor ever to receive the title. Marciana thus became part of the imperial iconography, and her statue was placed together with...

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