MONSTRA MIHI PECVNIAM“Show me the money!”

Imperative Verb, singular Dative pronoun Noun, accusative

Mike MarkowitzAncient Numismatic Society of

Washington

Roman Coins for Beginners

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Key Points• Gold, Silver and Bronze• Coins were a Greek invention the Romans borrowed

• Most Romans couldn’t read; symbols on coins were a form of official communication

• During Rome’s long history billions of coins were struck in thousands of types; millions survive today

• Coinage in the Roman economy went through cycles of debasement, inflation and currency reform

• Roman coin designs influenced classic American coinage 2

DIANALUCIFERA

Torch

Olive Twig

Oak leaves

COINS ARE CONSERVATIVEAn ancient Greek or Roman would find these symbols completely understandable:

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Aurum, Argentum, Æs

IXV

CXLIV 4

Republic

Roman History Time Line

Empire

CEBCE

Kings

700 600 500 400 300 200 100 100 200 300 400 5001

FirstSilverCoins

CastBronzeCoins

FirstGoldCoins

284-305Diocletian

312-337Constantine

753 BCLegendaryFounding of Rome

218-202 BCWar withHannibal

44 BCCaesarKilled

476 Endof Western

Empire

49BC-96Twelve Caesars

96-1925 Good

Emperors

MilitaryAnarchy235-284

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Aes Rude (“Raw Bronze”) 3rd C. BC

About one inch 10.9g

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Æs Signatum (“Marked Bronze”)

3rd Century BCELength: 17.0 cm = 6.7 inchesWeight: 1746 g = 3.8 poundsBritish Museum, London

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Aes Grave (“heavy bronze”)

~225-217 BCE. As (60mm, 272.98 g)

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How Coins Were MadeMetal Ingots

from the MinesMelting

Casting BlanksHeating

CELATOR(Die Engraver)

MALLEATOR“Hammerer”

SUPPOSTOR“Placer”

AEQUATORWeigher

CountingandBagging

XLVI

Not to scale! 9

First Roman Silver ~326 BCE

DidrachmaSilver7.55 g.

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First Roman Gold 218-216 BCE

GoldStater6.82 g

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“Quadrigatus” 217-215 BC

Silver 6.62 g

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Silver 3.26 g

Victoriatus 214-212 BCE

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Early Denarius (Anonymous)

Silver 3.55 g

Winged helmet

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Rome, 206-195 BCE

Brutus, Denarius 43-42 BC

BRUT(US) IMP(ERATOR) L PLAET(ORIUS) CEST(IANUS)

EID(IBUS) MAR(TIIS)

Liberty Cap

Large Cent1795

15Probably the single most famous Roman coin

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Juno Moneta

Silver denariusT. Carisius, moneyerRome 46 BCE3.78 g

tongs anvil hammer

“Vulcan’s cap”

the only Roman coin that shows how coins were made

Antony & Cleopatra

ANTONI ARMENIA DEVICTA

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Denarius 32 BC3.63 g

CLEOPATRAE REGINAE REGUM FILIORUM REGUM

Roman Monetary System ~27 BCE to 215 CE

AUREUS DENARIUSx25

SESTERTIUSx4

ASx4

QUINARIUS(half)

DUPONDIUS(half)

QUADRANS(Quarter)

SEMIS(Half)

Fractional units: rarely issued

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Tiberius, 14-37 CE “Tribute Penny”

TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTUSPONTIF(EX) MAXIM(US)

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Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (3.70 g). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck 2 BC-AD 4

Mark 12:17Matthew 22:19Luke 20:24

Equally likely:

Quadrans, Claudius 41 AD

TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVGPON M TR P IMP COS DES

IT

Copper 2.97 g.

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IVDAEA CAPTA

IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM TR P P P COS III

IVDAEA CAPTASC 21

Bronze Sestertius Vespasian 71CE

Coliseum Sestertius of Titus

Sold for $409,3954 April 2011

80-81 CE, Bronze 25.92 g

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The Severans

Caracalla

GetaKilled by Caracalla, 212

Emperor 211- 217

Julia DomnaEmpress 211- 21720mm, 7.39 g

Septimius SeverusGold Aureus 202 CE

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Otacilia Severa, wife of Philip “the Arab” (244-249)

Silvered Bronze Antoninianus 3.8 g.22 mm

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Debasement and Inflation

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Diocletian 284-306 CE

Antioch, c.300 CESilvered Bronze Follis10.67 g

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Constantine I “the Great” 306-337 CE

Antioch, 325-26 CEBronze AE 3, 2.86g

Usually describe as a “Camp gate”the reverse of this very common type probably depicts a fortified watch tower on the frontier

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Urbs Roma, 330-333 CE

Nummus2.28g, 17mm

On e of the most common Roman coins – this is an exceptional example ($65 in 2012)

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Happy Days are Here Again

CONSTAN TIVS PF AUGFEL TEMP REPARATIO

Constantius II(337-361)FollisAntioch6.5g

Julian II “the Apostate”, 360-63 CE

Bronze Æ 308.65 g

probably the last pagan coin type issued by the Empire30

Theodosius “The Great” , 379-395 CE

Bronze 6.08 g

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Marriage of Marcian and Pulcheria, 450

Marcian PulcheriaChrist?

Unique, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow 32

Romulus Augustus “Last Emperor in the West” 475-476

D N ROMVLVS AVGVSTVS P F AVGVICTORI-A AVGGG:

Goldsolidus4.42g

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Carthage

Alexandria

AntiochAthens

Roma

Londinium

Lugdunum

Constantinopolis

Sirmium

Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire http://imperium.ahlfeldt.se/

ANCIENT EUROPETreveri

Jerusalem

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BibliographyBERK, Harlan, 100 Greatest Ancient Coins. Whitman. 2010 FAILMEZGER, Victor. Roman Bronze Coins: From Paganism to Christianity 294-364. Washington. 2002HARL, Kenneth , Coinage in the Roman Economy, Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore and London 1996HENDIN, David, Guide to Biblical Coins, 5th ed. Amphora. 2010HOWGEGO, Christopher. Ancient History from Coins. Routledge. 1995KENT, J.P.C. Roman Coins. Abrams. 1978KLAWANS, Zander. Handbook of Ancient Greek and Roman Coins. Whitman. 1994MATTINGLY, Harold et al., Roman Imperial Coinage (10 vols. London, 1923-1994). Cited as RICSAYLES, Wayne, Ancient Coin Collecting, v. III. The Roman World. Krause. 1997-------------------, Ancient Coin Collecting, v. IV. Roman Provincial Coins. Krause. 1998-------------------, Classical Deception: Counterfeits, Forgeries and Reproductions of Ancient Coins, Krause. 2001SEAR, David R, Roman Coins and their values, 4 vols, Seaby, 1978 - 2010SEAR & KING, Roman Silver Coins, Vol. I to V, Seaby, 1979-82 cited as RSCVAGI, David, Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. 2 vol. Routledge 2001

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“buy the book before you buy the coin”