A later reduction took place to reduce it to 96 denarii in a Roman pound - many believe this took place in the reign of Nero, but this is not entirely certain. The early Roman Empire standard was 1/84 of a Roman pound, as noted in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History. Originally these coins were equal to 1/72 of a Roman pound. There was a slight variation in weight between each coin. The total of each batch had to come out equal to a pound, but each coin was not held to a specific weight. The coin was not established to a set weight for each coin, but rather a set number in each Roman pound. The better-known denarius was created in a revamp of coinage, which happened around 211 B.C. The denarii prototypes were probably the “quadrigati,” Silver coins with a Roman four-horse chariot on the reverse. This was a reference to its original exchange rate. The name “denarius” came from “deni,” which meant 10. Ten bronze asses (an aes grave with the image of Janus) made up a denarius once the denomination was established, though due to the rarity of Silver, that ratio was adjusted to 16 asses several years later, around 145 B.C. Silver coins from Greece slowly filtered into the Roman Republic, and Rome eventually created their own version. These coins were cast and could be manufactured in bulk, but they were too cumbersome for regular commerce and needed to be replaced with something of higher value. Originally the Roman Republic used bronze or lead ingots for their currency, Traditional Roman coins had been bronze and were known as aes grave, or “heavy bronze”. The denarius marked a change in Roman coinage, brought about by commerce with Greece. Its rise and decline are similar to what we see with many modern currencies, and its legacy still reverberates today. In the late Roman Republic through the early days of the Roman Empire, the denarius was the daily wage for laborers and regular legionaries. Coin Portraying Q.Struck continuously through the golden age of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the coin was one of the most commonly circulated in its time.Denarius (Coin) Portraying Lepidus, 42 BCE.Denarius (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra VII, 37-33 BCE, issued by Mark Antony.Coin Depicting the Hero Hercules, 2nd-1st century BCE.Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Roma, 153 BCE.Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus, 21-20 BCE.Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Gordian III, 239 (late July-December), issued by Gordian III.Antoninianus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Balbinus, 238 (April-June), issued by Balbinus and Pupienus.Antoninianus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Pupienus, 238 (April-June), issued by Balbinus and Pupienus, coemperors.Antoninianus (Coin) Portraying Empress Marcia Otacilia Severa, 248, issued by Emperor Philip the Arab.Didrachm (Coin) Depicting the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), 225-214 BCE, issued by the Roman Republic.Denarius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Augustus, 19-18 BCE, issued by Augustus.Ryerson Reference Number 1922.4851 IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Reverse: PRÆF (above) CLAS ET ORÆ / MARIT EX S C Dimensions Diam.: 2 cm (13/16 in.) Credit Line Gift of Martin A. Status Currently Off View Department Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium Culture Ancient Roman Title Denarius (Coin) Portraying Pompey the Great Place Sicily (Minted in) Date 42 BCE–40 BCE Medium Silver Inscriptions Obverse: MAG PIVS IMP After Pompey’s defeat by Julius Caesar, his sons tried to revitalize their father’s reputation and thereby enhance their own stature by issuing coins with Pompey’s portrait, such as this one. On the back (reverse), Anapius and Amphinomus carry their parents between them, Neptune stands with his foot on a ship prow.Ĭoins were an efficient form of publicity, particularly when new rulers needed to legitimize their succession or strengthen their reputation. Priestly instruments, a praefericulum (tall vase with handle) and lituus (staff), appear to left and right. The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Pompey the Great, facing right.
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