What was roman money called

First issued around B. Caracalla first minted the A ntoninianus around A. It is named for him: M. Aurelius Antoninus "Caracalla. Finally, it was abolished during the reign of Constantine the Great A. A small silver coin first issued by Diocletian, originally called the Argenteus. Standard gold coin of the Roman Empire. First issued regularly under Julius Caesar around 46 B. Although it was reduced in weight, through time, the gold content remained consistently high.

The Aureus circulated until A. Gold coin minted by Constantine the Great, replacing and weighing less than the Aureus. This coin, later struck by the Byzantines, endured for seven centuries as a circulating gold coin used for commerce in Europe. All rights reserved. Eustis Road, Littleton, NH This system revolved around the As whole unit which equated to the Roman pound, or libra g , which was subdivided by weight into the following divisions: semis half , quadrans quarter , sextans sixth and uncia twelfth.

These names persisted well into the Imperial period, even when this was no longer a system based on weight. All Aes Grave coinage marked denominations on the reverse, and generally featured standardised designs with a fixed deity on the obverse.

These coinage systems emerged in ad hoc fashion, and at first fit awkwardly into the pre-existing economies of each region. But a general system steadily became rationalised, until a relationship between the systems was defined. The Aes Signatum totally disappeared; silver coins were equated to the value of three asses; finally, common symbols and elements arose and predominated all c. Harmony did not last for long. Coinage was even issued sporadically in gold to help fund the war effort.

The As perhaps underwent the most dramatic transformation, dropping in weight from around g to 50g. This was a small silver coin 4. These denominations were to remain largely unchanged until the Imperial period. The currency now effectively held a token value , as the value of the bullion they contained no longer matched their tariffed prices following the economic trauma of the Hannibalic war.

Rome in this period increasingly transformed into a monetised society: coin issues became more frequent, and even regularised; coins became standard for paying soldiers. Henceforth they began to exist in the public sphere beyond their original state-based functionality. There was of course significant economic change in the following century: the denarius was actually re-tariffed to 16 asses in BC; but the name remained.

The tresviri chose the iconography, which became increasingly political over time. In the mid 2 nd century, the most common reverse was the biga type , with Victory displayed triumphantly driving a two-horse chariot a biga is a pair of horses.

This was presumably chosen to reflect the success of Roman conquests, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean over Greece. Towards the end of the second century, aristocrats began using coinage to promote themselves and their families.

Individual moneyers often guided by the tresvir i started issuing coins with iconographic references to their own ancestors. But the full propaganda value of coinage only became apparent in Rome at the end of its Republican period. Julius Caesar BC famously placed his own living face on the obverse of Roman coins. It was a step he gradually built up to: first he had his own portrait featured on coins in the province of Bithynia 47 BC , where such a practice was less controversial than at home.

In Rome, he carried on with modes of self-promotion that had already existed on the coinage for more than half a century until 44 BC, when he decisively he broke with tradition:. Since coins in the Greek East coins represented the heads of monarchs, Caesar was in fact aligning himself with Hellenistic kings — a damning association in a proudly Republican society. Augustus reformed the coinage system wholesale, regularising denominations and establishing a new mint at Lugdunum modern-day Lyon.

The vague, makeshift currency system of the Republic, which was predicated on irregularly-issued denominations, was now replaced with a robust, codified, multi-metallic system:. Gone were the gods, who were now relegated to the reverses if they were lucky!

Since coins were mass-produced and widely circulated beyond the periphery of Rome, the significance of this power projection is easily overlooked — especially since we have become so familiar with numismatic portraiture. The British mints were at London, which began producing coins in A. Even with these two large British mints, many of the coins circulating in Britannia came from other parts of the empire, the most common being from Aquileia, Arles, Lyons, Siscia and Trier.

Roman coinage was divided into three main classes; gold aureus , silver denarius and brass sestertius, dupondius, and as. At various times, pieces forming multiples or fractions of the standard units were also struck. Each was cast at a weight standard of grams so weighing by traders would not have to be done at each transaction. This rather hefty weight, however, along with the single denomination made making change a fragment cutting affair.

This system obviously carried inherent problems and would very quickly be in need of a replacement. Within only a few years of the introduction of the Aes Signatum, a new more clearly defined, and easily traded form of coin replaced it. Aes Grave heavy bronze , appearing sometime around BC, came in several denominations, making them more functional and popular. Allowing for several varieties surely increased the circulation of coinage in ancient Rome and also made trading with other civilizations more practical.

The Aes were molded with carvings of exotic animals or gods, and later were commonly issued with a ship's prow. This coinage was likely the primary issue in Rome until about BC, and it would eventually evolve into the base unit of Roman currency, the As. Overlapping the circulation of the Aes Grave, was the introduction of silver coinage. During the 3rd century BC, Roman moneyers were forced to become more compliant with other cultures for ease in trade.

The Greeks had been producing silver coins since the 7th century BC, and silver was the basis of their system. The Romans imported Greek artisans and began minting silver coins of their own, albeit with a style heavily influenced by Greece. The first of these silver coins produced for Rome were a series of didrachms called quadrigati for the inclusion of the four horsed chariot imagery minted during the outbreak of war with Pyrrhus.

These coins were struck in Neapolis and were most likely made to be compliant with the trading specification of the Greek colonies in southern Italy. These were later replaced by a coin of roughly half the size 3. The denarius - the silver coin that would become the mainstay of the Roman economy - was first struck in BC and was valued originally at 10 asses As.