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Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. [1] From its introduction during the Republic, in the third century BC, through Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denomination, and composition. A feature was the inflationary debasement and replacement of coins over ...
- Coins of The Republic
- Coins of The Emperor
- Threats to The Currency
- Imagery
- Conclusion
The early Republic did not use coins but rather a system of bronze weights, the aes rude. These units were quite large as one unit was the equivalent of 324 g. or 11 1/2 oz. in weight. Despite their heaviness, this type continued to be produced up to c. 218 BCE. As the Romans expanded over central Italy war booty meant coins could be produced using...
The imagery on coins took a turn towards propaganda when Julius Caesar used his own profile on his coins, an opportunity not missed by Brutus who similarly used his own image on one side of his coins and on the other side two daggers symbolising his role in the assassination of Caesar. Augustus, naturally, followed suit but he also reformed the den...
Coins were continuously minted as taxation only met 80% of the imperial budget and the shortfall was met by putting more coins into circulation, the source coming from freshly mined metal. This also meant that extravagant emperors could get themselves into serious financial trouble. One solution was to reduce the weight and or the metal content of ...
Images were made on coins by striking the coin by hand onto a pre-cut die placed below (obverse) and above (reverse) the blank coin. In the Republic, control of state coinage was in the hands of three junior magistrates (later to be four), the tresviri aere argento auro flando feriundo or a.a.a.f.f. They often signed their issues and initially favo...
In many cases, coins offer the only physical likeness of prominent personalities in the history of Rome. They also depict lost or ruined monuments and help to establish both the precise chronology of Rome and the date of other artefacts that might accompany them in archaeological finds. Coins of certain date can also help to date other less certain...
- Mark Cartwright
Oct 20, 2014 · Measuring only four to five millimeters in diameter and weighing 0.08 to 0.12 grams, the little hemitetartemorion was the smallest Greek silver coin. It is hard to imagine what such a small bit of ...
- Mike Markowitz
Jul 6, 2021 · Then, in 498 AD, Anastasius I created a 40 nummi bronze coin, called a "follis" by present day numismatists, which was supposed to be worth 40 of the old small nummus coins (therefore it had the Greek numeral for 40, the letter "M", on the reverse).
Apr 12, 2011 · The smallest version of this coin continued to be struck in ever-smaller versions until the beginning of the Byzantine age. Larger bronze and billon coins were also struck at various times from the mid-4th Century onward, including one type commonly called a centenionalis.
Mar 13, 2023 · The smallest Roman coin was a minim, which was only 4 millimeters in diameter. The largest Roman coin was a sestertius, which had a diameter of up to 50 millimeters. Coins were circulated throughout the Roman Empire along trade routes. Roman soldiers were paid in cash, which helped to spread the coins around. What are old Italian coins called
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Roman Coin Denominations. Forget the boring piles of change in your pocket! Roman currency wasn’t just about buying bread – it was a story etched in metal. Each coin, from the humble bronze As to the gleaming gold Aureus, played a vital role in the Roman economic and social fabric. (c) Trombonist04. Quadrans (1/4 As): The smallest ...
