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The Roman currency constituted a monetary Système founded on the Métal which extended from the IV until.

Origins of Roman coining

Towards 400 av. J. - C., the Romans replaced barter based on the heads of cattle or the use of Greek currencies by a relatively antiquated monetary system. They were initially “blocks” of hard Bronze named aes then at the end of the 4th century of bronze ingots representing on one of the faces their equivalent in heads of cattle. Then, towards 280 av. J. - C. appear named serious bronze discs aes weighing a book Roman (324 G) and being worth 1 ace. The double face of Janus is engraved there on the avers (face). The weight of the ace being fixed according to its value, this one decreases at the time of the First Punic War (264-241) to weigh approximately 290-280 grams. Fall due to the large expenditures of Rome for the constitution of its fleet. Towards 225 av. J. - C. appears on the reverse of the serious aes, (Latin serious = heavy), a prow in homage to the powerful Roman military fleet made up a few decades earlier.

At the time of the Second Punic War (218-201), which imposes on Rome considerable expenditure, the ace crumbles and ends up becoming a bronze disc of a score of grams. It has multiples of which the most used will be the sesterce being worth 2 aces and half, (then 4 aces), the dupondius being worth 2 aces and of the submultiples the semi (½ ace), and the quadrans (¼ ace). All these currencies are out of bronze. It is at this time that the money metal appears truly in the Roman monetary system with the “sum of money”.

End of the Roman republic

The monetary system is reformed and rests from now on on the sum of money (silver money). In 211 av. J. - C. the sum of money appears and is worth 10 aces of 53 grams bronze each one (from where its name which comes from the root TEN). The sum of money weighing 4,5 G of money, 530 G of bronze is equal to 4,5 G of money into 211. One thus has a ratio of 1/120.

Towards 170 av. J. - C. the sum of money is devaluated and its weight is brought back to 3,96 G of money (the relationship between the money and bronze is then of 1/70). Lastly, towards 140 av. J. - C. the relative value of the money sum of money compared to bronze is reappraised: the sum of money is worth from now on 16 bronze ace is a ratio of 1/110.

The Sesterce becomes during the second century before J.C the usual Unit of Account instead of the ace libral, the expenditure, the incomes and fortunes are evaluated in sesterces. Its abbreviation HS is a memory of its initial parity with the ace (two aces and half, are in Roman numerals IIS , quickly retranscribed in HS)

Empire

the monetary system is presented then as follows:

| Gold | ≈ 7,20 G under Néron

|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC |   12 ½ | 50 | 200 | | however |  

|- | 3 | 12 | 48 | | money | =  4 Drachma S Greek

|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC | 1 | 4 | 16 | | money | ≈ 3,40 G under Néron

|- | 1 2 | 2 | 8 | | money |  

|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC | 1 4 | 1 | 4 | | Brass | ≈ 27 G under Néron

|- | 1 8 | 1 2 | 2 | | brass | ≈ 13 G under Néron

|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC | 1 16 | 1 4 | 1 | | Copper | ≈ 11 G under Néron

|- | 1 32 | 1 8 | 1 2 | | copper |  

|- bgcolor=#FFFFCC | 1 64 | 1 16 | 1 4 | | copper |  

|}   * the money cistophore was in circulation in minor Asia. It was worth 3 Roman sums of money or 4 drachmas Greek.

The period of the political disturbances

With the wire of time, the Dévaluation is increasingly fast. Under Severe Septime, the title of the sum of money passes from 70% to money 50%. Towards 215, Caracalla, which needs money to be able to pay the soldiers of which it increased balances it, institutes a new currency, a double sum of money called Antoninien weighing the weight only one sum of money and half with a title of money 50%. This currency which one is unaware of which was his name at the time, recognizes oneself with the crown of the emperor made of rays (erased crown), and on the currencies of the empresses to the fact that the bust is placed on a crescent of the moon.

The new currency abandoned or is struck little by certain emperors, but it will always return, with an increasingly weakened intrinsic value, while the sum of money disappears little by little, a bad currency by driving out good. With the military anarchy of the 3rd century, the multiplication of the monetary workshops and political instability, the monetary system is in the storm. The currencies are depreciated constantly, containing noble metals less and less.

In 258 pennies the reign of Valérien, the antoninien was not any more that of a title from approximately money 20%, and the government started to treat the currencies with “a process of enrichment of the silvering on the surface” to improve their aspect and to make them seem to be of a smoothness higher than they were not really. Under the reign of Claude the Gothic, the antoninien will not contain any more that money 3 or 4%, and its aspect will be then closer to that of a copper coin than of that of the sounding and stumbling money. The sesterce, being worth 1/8e antoninien is not struck almost any more.

In 271, Aurélien reform the currency and increases the weight of the antoninien which one sometimes currently names aurelianus , it also tries to reintroduce the copper ace and the sesterce.

Towards 290, Dioclétien during a large news reforms monetary, creates new currencies: the follis, of same alloy as the antoninien, but of a heavier weight, and the argenteus which signs the return of the true silver money and will sign the death warrant of the antoninien. Indeed, the striking of substantial money emissions eliminated the need for a substitute from silver coin which was the antoninien.

A new currency, the solidus out of gold will be created by Constantin in order to replace the aureus which will be emitted more only for particular occasions in very minor amounts.

The success of the solidus

See also: Solidus (currency)

Constantin I {{er}}, towards 311 operates a devaluation of the gold currency by creating a new currency, the solidus struck at the 1/72 of the pure gold book (that is to say approximately 4,5 G) against 1/60 of book previously. Its name solidus (= solid, stable) constituted a true political program vis-a-vis the repeated monetary devaluations of the former generations. Constantin Ier could maintain the stability of this new currency and emit it in considerable quantities, thanks to the confiscation of the important gold stocks thesaurized since centuries in the pagan temples. Vis-a-vis the constant fall of the other bronze and silver moneys, that of the follis for example which loses its money contents quickly, the solidus became the currency refuge, for all the important payments (gifts of the emperor to the soldiers, payment of the taxes, tributes poured with the cruel people, etc).

Submultiples of the solidus were created: the semissis either a half-solidus, the tremissis or triens , or a third of solidus.

The stability of the solidus of 4,5 G gold preserved during the evolution of the Roman Empire in Byzantine Empire, where it took the name of nomisma . He knew devaluation only with the 11th pennies the Comnènes, that is to say extraordinary a seven centuries stability.

After the disappearance of the Roman Empire on the Occident, the solidus continued to circulate some time at the Francs; its name was maintained and transformed into French in “ground”, then “penny”.

Monetary etymology

  • the cattle, pécus in Latin, original unit of the exchanges, gave the “pecuniary” word.
  • the Roman currencies at the beginning were struck in the temple of Junon moneta, origin of the word “currency”.
  • the sesterce, also called numus then numisma , gave the term “Numismatique”.
  • the sum of money, denarius is at the origin of the names “Dinar”, “Dirham”.
  • the solidus was transformed with the wire of the centuries into “ground”, then “penny”.

Monetary marks

See also: Roman monetary Workshops

Latin abbreviations

Abbreviations appearing on Roman currencies. Note that the " v" Latin transcribes itself phonetically by " u".

  • AVG : AVGVSTVS, AVGVSTA = emperor, empress

  • AVGG : AVGVSTORVM = the emperors
  • CAES : CAESAR = emperor
  • COS : CONSVL = consul
  • D : DIVVS, DIVA = divinized
  • F : FILIVS = wire
  • WIRE : FILIA = girl
  • IMP : IMPERATOR = general victorious
  • PM : PONTIFEX MAXIMVS = large pontiff
  • PP : LORD'S PRAYER PATRIAE = father of the Fatherland
  • SC : SENATVS CONSULTO = by decree of the Senate
  • TRP : TRIBVNICIA POTESTATE = power tribunician, renewed each year

Example: TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG P MR. TR P VI IMP XI (Tibère Claude César Auguste, Large Pontiff, covered for the sixth time of the power tribunitienne, greeted victorious for the eleventh time).

Figures

Generally: I: one - II: two - III: three - IIII : four - V: five - VI: six - VII: seven - VIII: eight - VIIII : nine - X: ten

The additive forms IIII and VIIII are those usually employed. It is the original notation of the Roman numerals, the subtractive forms are as for them more recent.

Marks of workshop

As from the 3rd century, the workshops of striking multiply, and the currencies carry the stamp of origin of the workshop of emission.

See in the monetary article Workshop, the table of the marks of Roman workshop.

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