![]() Toward the end of the 4th century BC bronze began to be cast in flat bars which are known today, without any historical authority, as aes signatum ( signed bronze). It is unclear when money became commonly used, but Roman tradition recorded that pay of the army began during the siege of Veii in 406 BC and it appears that Aes rude was the currency well before this. 3 Introduction of Greek-style silver coinageīefore the introduction of coinage in Italy the two important forms of value in the economy were sheep ( pecus), from which the Latin word for money ( pecunia) is believed by some to have been derived, and irregularly shaped pieces of bronze known as aes rude ( rough bronze) which needed to be weighed for each transaction.This resulted in the production of coins advertising the officials' families for political purposes most of the messages on these coins can still be understood today. The coins of the republic (especially the denarii) are of particular interest because they were produced by "mint magistrates", junior officials who chose the designs and legends. This system was dominated by the silver denarius, a denomination which remained in circulation for 450 years. The coinage of the Roman Republic started with a few silver coins apparently devised for trade with the Greek colonies in Southern Italy, and heavy cast bronze pieces for use in Central Italy.ĭuring the Second Punic war a flexible system of coins in bronze, silver and (occasionally) gold was created. The currency of central Italy was influenced by its natural resources, with bronze being abundant (the Etruscans were famous metal workers in bronze and iron) and silver ore being scarce. Crawford, has come to be used as an identifying tag for coins assigned a number in that work, such as RRC 367.Ĭoins came late to the Republic compared with the rest of the Mediterranean, especially Greece and Asia Minor where coins were invented in the 7th century BC. In modern times, the abbreviation RRC, "Roman Republican Coinage" originally the name of a reference work on the topic by Michael H. The early Republic did not use coins but rather a system of bronze weights, the aes rude.Roman Republican currency refers to the Coinage struck by the various magistrates of the Roman Republic, to be used as legal tender. These units were quite large as one unit was the equivalent of 324 g. Despite their heaviness, this type continued to be produced up to c. As the Romans expanded over central Italy war booty meant coins could be produced using precious metals - gold, silver, and bronze. The first Roman coins were probably the small bronze ones of low value produced at Neapolis from 326 BCE and carried the legend PΩMAIΩN. The first silver coins were produced from the early 3rd century BCE and resembled contemporary Greek coins. These were worth two Greek drachmas and carried the legend ROMANO, later to become ROMA. Gradually, following the financial excesses of the Punic Wars, the weight of coins was reduced, as was the metal content of the bronze bars. Due to financial necessity, gold coins (aurei) were also minted, a rare event not to be repeated until the 1st century BCE. In 46 BCE Julius Caesar minted the largest quantity of gold coins yet seen in Rome.Īs Rome expanded and took ever more treasure from her enemies silver began to replace bronze as the most important material for coinage. This was especially so following the acquisition of the silver mines of Macedonia from 167 BCE, resulting in a huge boom in silver coins from 157 BCE. 141 BCE the bronze as was devalued so that now 16 were equivalent to one denarius. It was now no longer necessary to mark coins as Roman as there were no others in Italy and by the 1st century BCE Roman coins were now also being widely used across the Mediterranean. In 84 BCE once again the link between warfare and coinage was evidenced when Sulla minted new silver and gold coins to pay his armies, a necessity repeated by Julius Caesar, who in 46 BCE, minted the largest quantity of gold coin yet seen in Rome, outproducing the state mint in the process. Rasiel Suarez (GNU FDL) Coins of the Emperor Following the death of Caesar coinage was produced by the various parties fighting to succeed him but with Octavian's victory a uniform Roman coinage was once more established. 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. ![]()
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