Roman coins: photo and description

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

The Roman Empire is one of the most majestic countries of Antiquity, which received such a name in honor of its capital - the city of Rome, whose founder is considered to be Romulus.

Interesting facts about the Roman Empire

The territory of the empire was striking in its size: it stretched from north to south from Great Britain to Ethiopia, from east to west from Iran to Portugal.

In terms of development, the ancient Romans were far ahead of their time. It was here that Roman law originated and spread, such architectural phenomena as the dome and arch also first appeared in Rome. The empire had a sewer system, there were excellent baths and saunas with hot water, water mills, by the way, were also invented here, not to mention the roads, which are in perfect condition and are still in operation.

Culture and life of the ancient Romans

The official language of the Roman Empire was Latin, the same language that currently stands for most medical terms. In those days, they knew how to treat many diseases, including fractures, problems with teeth (during excavations they found a skull with sealed teeth), they performed surgical operations.

In general,the standard of living in the Roman Empire was the highest in those days. She successfully resisted the barbarians, fought several wars with Carthage, eventually wiping out a formidable enemy from the face of the Earth, and also conducted powerful campaigns to seize neighboring territories.

We know a lot about the ancient rulers, science, culture and life of the Romans due to the fact that they kept detailed records of all the outstanding events in the life of the country, many of which have survived to our times.

Government and civil liberties

The Romans managed to create and maintain a republican form of government. Even slaves here had their rights and opportunities. The inhabitants of the country adhered to their own ideology, which later allowed to expand the territory of the country and make it a huge superpower of that time.

Patriarchy reigned in Rome. But, despite the fact that the head of the family was the eldest man and all other members of the family were under his authority, women had some rights and freedoms. Thus, a woman was engaged in economic affairs, had the right to move freely around the city or country, visit friends, attend public meetings.

Politics was exclusively for men, but high society women were allowed some privileges. And yet, the fair sex did not have the right to own real estate, as well as sons until the death of their father. The head of the clan also de alt with financial matters of the family. He could also recognize the child as his own and support him, or orderkill.

Education

In the Roman Empire, education was born, which can rightfully be considered the forerunner of the modern education system. Girls and boys entered school at the age of seven. Education was divided into three stages: primary, secondary and higher. At the first two stages, general information was given in each subject, and in higher education, the emphasis was on the study of oratory.

We althy families preferred home education for their children, it was considered very prestigious to have a Greek teacher who was usually a slave.

There were schools where girls and boys studied together. At the age of 17, young men had to undergo military training. Education was also compulsory for girls, but it was more practical - knowledge and skills were supposed to help them fulfill the duties of a housewife and raising children.

It was very fashionable to get higher education in Greece. Basically, rhetoric was taught in schools on the island of Rhodes, which was far from cheap, but gave great prospects.

The financial system in the early stages of the formation of Rome

At the dawn of the Empire, the Italian economy was built on barter. Suppose a family specialized in production (baking bread), it grew grain, collected, ground and made flour, which it later used. Ready-made bread was exchanged by family members for the goods they needed.

Later, the role of money began to be played by cattle. With the rise of the country's economy, small ingots of copper andgold, which became more convenient monetary substitutes. Over time, they were transformed into the first Roman coins. This is how weight money appeared.

First money - copper coins

In the 4th century BC. e. on the territory of the state begin to mint the first Roman bronze coins, which were called "asses". There were two types of aces: imperial and marine, with which they paid salaries to sailors.

Greek coins - drachmas are actively used. But Roman silver coins begin to be minted in 268 BC. e. These coins depicted gods, rulers and prominent figures of the state, various animals.

Coins of the Roman Empire, photos of samples of which are given below, are found everywhere in the former territory of the state.

The senate and a special division, the prototype of the mint, were engaged in the manufacture of coins. There are records that during the reign of Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman gold coins were minted by the mint, and sometimes he produced coins, deliberately lowering the purity of the metal, in other words, counterfeit money.

Gold coins were issued in different denominations: 60 asses (3.5 grams), 40 (2.2 grams) and 20 (1.2 grams) asses.

Variety of silver and copper coins

There were four types of silver coins:

• Denarius, worth 10 asses. Their weight was 4.5 grams.
• Victoriat, the cost of which was equal to 7.5 asses, and the weight was 3.4 grams.
• Quinary. The equivalent in asses was 5 coins. Weight - 2.2grams.
• Sestertius (2.5 ass - 1.1 grams).

The denarius was the most common currency made from silver. Such coins participated in both domestic and foreign trade. The double denarius was the most expensive Roman silver coin.

Roman copper coin, in addition to asses, had several more types, the main difference of which was their size and weight.

• ass - 36 grams;
• semiss - 18 grams;
• triens - 12 grams;
• quadrance - 9 grams;
• sextans - 6 grams;
• ounce - 3 grams;
• semuncia - 1.5 grams.

Silver shortage and new gold coin - Aurei

The minting of gold coins stopped after the end of the second Punic War and resumed as much as 100 years later, during the reign of Sulla. The reason for the restoration of this monetary system was the lack of silver and an excess of gold in the state, as well as the need to finance the impending war against the Marians.

The new Roman gold coin became known as aureus, which translates from Latin as "gold". The weight of the coin was 10.5 grams. The rarest ancient Roman coin of Pompey Magna, minted in connection with the shortage of silver, dates back to this time. After the Sertorian War, the aurei are being phased out.

Financial reform

The new monetary reform was carried out in 141. Its necessity was caused by the constant drop in the cost of aces. Now Roman coins had a new symbol instead of the image "X" - an asterisk or a crossed outtens.

Silver coins such as sestertius and quinarius also disappear a few years after the reform.

Copper money almost did not change until the beginning of the 1st century, after which they gradually disappear from the arena. At this time, the Roman Empire already had an impressive size, so the financial needs of the power were filled by local coinage: tetradrachms of Macedonia, cystophores of Asia Minor, bronze coins of Spain, and other provinces of Rome. There was a credit, bill of exchange system, as well as promissory notes.

Bronze was a fairly cheap material, and to give the coins a purchasing value, a special abbreviation was printed on them - SC, which stood for Senatus Consulto. Almost all bronze coins issued before the 3rd century had this sign on the reverse side.

On the coins of the later times of Aurelian and Postumus, this sign is absent, but on all the others it is, and almost without variations in spelling. Also, during the prosperity of the Empire, several rare coins made of precious metals were issued, with the abbreviations EX, SC. Historians believe these Roman coins were minted from higher grade senatorial bars.

Image of rulers on money and decoding of inscriptions

On the money of different eras, the rulers corresponding to that time were depicted. Roman emperors stood out quite clearly on the coins, with inscriptions and abbreviations usually going around their heads.

For example, on a coin from the time of Domitian, the profile of the ruler is shown, and around you can make outthe following inscription: IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM PM TRP XIIIMP XXII COS XVI CENS P PP.

Let's analyze this inscription in more detail.

1. The abbreviation IMP means "Emperor" - the commander-in-chief of the Roman army. The title was updated after each victorious war.
2. The number after the title of Emperor means how many times this title was awarded to this person. If there is no number, then he received the title only once.
3. CAES means Caesar. An imperial title dating back to the time of Julius Caesar, in whose name this designation can be seen.
4. AVG - August. Another imperial title. For a large period of time, the rulers bore both titles: Caesar and Augustus, as a more modern definition. Later, the title Caesar came to refer to a junior member of the imperial family.
5. PM - Pontific Maximus, or Supreme Pontiff. If there were several rulers at the same time, then this title passed to the eldest of the emperors, all the rest were listed simply as pontiffs. With the adoption of Christianity, this designation was no longer used. And over time, the title began to belong to the Pope.
6. TRP - translated as tribune of the people, which was a very honorary position in Republican Rome. The number next to the abbreviation means how many times the ruler has performed the duties of the above position.
7. COS - Consul - the highest position in Rome during the Republic. During the empire, it was often performed by members of the ruling family, however, becoming Consul more than once couldonly the Emperor. The number next to it shows how many times Caesar acted as Consul. In the case of Domitian, we see the number 16.
8. PP - Father of the Fatherland. The title was given to emperors a few years after their reign. Domitian received it in the 12th year of his tenure. In the case of Emperor Hadrian, the mint made a mistake. In the first year of the emperor's reign, a batch of coins was issued with the title of Father of the Fatherland assigned to him, in the next decade this title is absent on the coins.
9. GERM - German. It served as a reminder and glorification of a particular emperor as a conqueror and winner of the tribes.
10. CENS P is the position of the censor. As a rule, the emperor performed it for life.

There are a number of other interesting abbreviations, as, for example, on the coins of the times of Constantine I, II and Licinius II.

On these coins, in addition to the designations already known to us, the following abbreviations appear.

1. MAX - Maximus, that is, the Greatest. The title was given to Constantine I, better known as Constantine the Great.
2. SM, P - Sakra coin, or petsunia (money), sometimes included in the stamp of the coinage board.
3. VOT - Vota is an oath. Each emperor took an oath in which he promised to serve his people. It usually recurred after a certain amount of time.
4. PERP - Perpetus - eternal. The definition was used in conjunction with other titles.
5. DN - Dominus Noster, can be translated as "our lord". Ceremonythe coming to power of the new Caesar began with these words.
6. DV - Divus, which means "divine". This title was awarded to a deceased deified ruler.
7. PT - Pater, father. This inscription appeared on coins with Constantine the Great, which were issued by his sons.
8. VNMR - Venerabilis memoria, or eternal memory. Inscription on coins dedicated to Constantine the Great.

Images of gods on coins of different eras

Besides the Caesars, Roman coins bore images of their gods. Such coins were widely used in Greece, which was already part of the Roman Empire.

The following deities were mainly depicted:

• Asclepius, who is the patron saint of medicine.
• Apollo is the god of music and the arts.
• Liber Bacchus is the god of winemaking and entertainment. The coin was issued during the time of Septimius Severus.
• Demeter - goddess of agriculture.
• Celeste is an African goddess whose cult was especially popular in Rome during the reign of the Severes.
• Artemis is the goddess of the hunt. The coin was issued during the time of Julius Domna.
• Hercules is a demigod, the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. It was a symbol of strength and steadfastness. Depicted on coins from the period of Septimius Severus.
• Isis is an Egyptian goddess who was very popular in the Empire at the end of the 3rd century CE. e. It can be seen on denarii from the time of Julius Domna.
• Janus often appeared on republican denarii, but was extremely rare in the Empire.
• Juno - wifesupreme god Zeus. The coin was minted during the time of Julius Meza.
• Zeus is the sestertius of the North.
• Ares, Mars is the bloody god of war. Popular during the time of Septimius Severus.
• Nemesis, goddess of vengeance. Found on denarii of Emperor Claudius.

Holy Roman Empire coins can be purchased at auctions starting at $50 each, or from collectors for a bargain price. They are a frequent exhibit among admirers of antiquity.

Roman coins, photos of which are published in online auctions, can be viewed in detail before buying. But rare finds that can be seen in museums in Europe become public.