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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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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Æs Signatum (“Marked Bronze”)
3rd Century BCELength: 17.0 cm = 6.7 inchesWeight: 1746 g = 3.8 poundsBritish Museum, London
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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
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:
IVDAEA CAPTA
IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM TR P P P COS III
IVDAEA CAPTASC 21
Bronze Sestertius Vespasian 71CE
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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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
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”