The Roman Republic and Empire saw many different coins throughout its history. Knowing their exact value is difficult, but the currency system did lay out the relative values of coins. The three types of Late Roman coins featured in this exhibition are the Denarius, the Solidus, and the Antoninianus.
Denarius:
Introduced in 211 BCE, the denarius became the primary silver coin of the empire until around the 3rd century CE. When it was first used after its introduction in the Republican era, the denarius was worth 10 bronze asses, a Roman coin of lesser value. By 17 BCE, the empire replaced bronze coins with brass coins made of copper and zinc, but the denarius continued to be a principle coin used in currency. The worth of other coins was often based on the value of the denarius. For example, the gold aureus was worth 25 denarii around 16 BCE.
Antoninianus:
In 214 CE, the antoninianus denomination was first issued under Caracalla as a Roman “double denarius.” With 40% silver alloy, these coins did not weigh quite as much as two denarii, increasing profits of production (Mlasowsky 2006). Coins that were lighter maintained the same diameter as heavier coins to keep the appearance. Antoninianus coins were distinguished by their standard design: the emperor on the obverse side always wears a radiate crown (a reference to the sun god, Sol) while their junior successors (Caesars) were shown bare-headed and empresses were depicted with a crescent moon symbol behind them (Mlasowsky 2006). In later versions, the emperors wear helmets. The percent of silver continually decreased over time until copper became more popular as a base for coins.
Solidus:
The solidus replaced the aureus under Constantine’s rule in 312 CE and was the most valuable coin in Roman currency. On the obverse side the coin usually has a ruler portrait that is uncharacterized and in a frontal pose (Orr 1996). On the reverse, there are usually Christian symbols (Orr 1996). It was worth 25 silver denarii or 400 bronze asses (the smallest unit of Roman money) and was made of gold (American Numismatic Society 2016; Encyclopedia Britannica 1998).
Cartwright, Mark. 2018. “Roman Coinage.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 December 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Coinage/.
Encyclopedia Britannica. 1998. “Aureus, Ancient Roman Money.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed 9 December 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/aureus.
Mlasowsky, Alexander. 2006. “Antoninianus.” In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider. Leiden: Brill. Accessed December 15, 2020. http://dx.doi.org.newman.richmond.edu:2048/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e126000.
American Numismatic Society. 2016. “From Republic to Empire.” Rome: A Thousand Years Of Monetary History, American Numismatic Society. Accessed 9 December 2020. http://numismatics.org/rome-a-thousand-years-of-monetary-history/.
Orr, Michael T. 1996. “The Development Of The Byzantine Solidus.” Bearers of Meaning. The Ottilia Buerger Collection of Ancient and Byzantine Coins at Lawrence University. Accessed 9 December 2020. https://www2.lawrence.edu/dept/art/BUERGER/ESSAYS/BYZANT.HTML.