ANCIENT ROMAN COINS

Numismatic is the science of coins under an economic, legislative, metrological and artistic point of view. It has a great importance in the whole Historical and Archaeological science; as a matter of fact into the peculiarity of a people or age the Coin holds a fundamental role: it has always reflected the political, economical, artistic and social trends of the time in which it developed.

And who, approaching this subject, isn't charmed - 27 centuries of history, kings, princes, usurpers and tyrants who learnt soon how to use this formidable propaganda instrument, handing down their ideas and customs.

Ancient coins are of great interest to the collector as expression of art, as well as portrayals of history. Even though the word "numismatist" is sometimes used to mean "collector", in fact, there is no reason why this should necessarily be so. A collector isn't necessarily an expert, nor does the expert have to possess a collection. In practice, of course, and as logic outcome, those whose studies are concerned with ancient coins tend to become collectors, while those who begin to build up a collection are usually impelled, at first out of curiosity and then through an increasing awareness of what their coins have to tell them, to acquire a numismatic patina of some kind.

The Romans themselves had a penchant for collecting "antiquities". Both Pliny and Plutarch tell us that there were those who were prepared to buy coins no longer in circulations at prices higher than their face value. Even Petrarch perceived the historical and documentary worth of the Imperial Roman Coinage.

The Development of Roman Coinage: Irregular lumps of bronze called AES RUDE, were the earliest known common measure of value in central Italy. They were followed chronologically by AES SIGNATUM, oblong, brick-shaped or quadrilateral cast pieces of bronze with a design on each side, such as an elephant, anchor, trident, etc.

About 269 B.C., they were replaced by a proper form of coinage which included large round cast bronze coins, called AES GRAVE, for local commerce, and a series of silver coins, called didrachms, for trade with the Greek cities which had been established in southern Italy.

These coinages were succeeded by other monetary experiments - including a silver coin called the victoriatus - which finally culminated in the issue of the denarius.

This coin was to become Rome's standard denomination for several hundred years. Under the Roman republic, coins were issued by a college of moneyers, minor public officials who were elected every year.

It soon became standard practice for them to issue coins bearing designs which recalled the deeds of their famous ancestors. In the first century B.C., Rome was racked by a series of civil wars as various powerful political factions struggled for power. Marius and Sulla, Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus (the First Trimvirate), Marc Antony and Octavian all contributed to this terrible upheaval.

Eventually Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. and brought peace at last to the Mediterranean.

He soon renounced all his powers, but was given them in new form, along with the title Augustus, by the Roman Senate. Emperor in all but name, he ruled as PRINCEPS - First Citizen of a supposedly restored republic. He spent his reign resurrecting Rome from the decay into which nearly a century of civil war had plunged her.

By the time of his death of natural causes, in A.D. 14, much of Rome's former glory had been restored. One of Augustus' achievements was a complete revision of the Roman coinage.

During the period of warfare it had become accepted practice for a great general to issue coinage in his own right to pay his troops.

Holding power as the governor and commanding general of a huge composite province, Augustus issued gold and silver coins under this authority and allowed the old senatorial issues - mostly silver denarii - to cease. He allowed the base metal coinage to stay, nominally, in the hands of the Senate.

The letters SC in the fields of most of these coins stand for SENATUS CONSULTO (By Decree of the Senate) and show that this august body had given its rubber stamp approval to the issue.

Augustus replaced the rather muddy bronze coins of the late republic with a new series of coinages - some in brass, such as the sestertius and the dupondius, and some in bright copper, such as the as and the quadrans. Despite occasional efforts by succeeding emperors, like Nero, to experiment with it the coinage - as revised by Augustus - remained the standard coinage of the Roman empire for the next two hundred years.

Symbols depicted on the reverses (and sometimes the obverses) of Roman coins included allegorical figures or personnifications and symbolic objects or groups of objects. An allegorical figure is an image of a person that is intended to represent values, qualities, or ideas.

The qualities or ideas depicted were usually ones highly esteemed in Roman society. These might include the ideas of motherhood, health, or abundance.

Qualities like loyalty, generosity, chastity, and piety were depicted as human figures, usually female, who held, leaned on, or were surrounded by certain symbolic objects called attributes.


SPES (Hope) usually held her flower

ANNONA (The grain harvest) her sacrificial bowl and grain measure

FIDES (Loyalty) usually stood holding two military standards.

Symbolic objects included the jug, ladle, and LITVVS (curved wooden wand) used by the priests. Javelins, shields, and standards stood for military virtues like loyalty or courage and strength in battle.

Victory often held a wreath with which to crown an emperor or steered a shop, representing the ship of state.

Gods and goddesses often adorned Roman coin reverses and each had his or her own unique attributes.

Poseidon held his trident

Apollo had a lyre.

Minerva was often depicted holding a shield in an attitude of combat or wielding a weapon, or both.


Coins during the Empire were struck (rather than cast). There were no assembly lines or punching machines--each coin was struck by hand. First the engraver created two punches out of bronze, one for the obverse (the "heads") of the coin and one for the reverse (the "tails"). The engraver carved the coin's design into the punch in intaglio. The obverse punch was placed on a table, then a blank metal disk, or flan, that was to become the coin was placed on top of the obverse punch. Sometimes the flan was heated and sometimes it was cold. The reverse punch was placed on top of the flan and was then struck by a hammer.

It's easy to see why many Roman coins were often struck off-center so that part of the design was lost off the edge of the coin, or the coin did not have a uniform thickness. For these reasons, most collectors place a higher value on a commonly found but well struck coin, than they do on a less common but poorly made one. After making thousands of coins with this method, the punch would begin to distort and flatten, making coins that were less pleasing to the eye. Eventually new punches would have to be carved.

Roman coins did not have any denomination, per se--there was no numerical value printed on a coin. A coin's value was based on the relative values of the precious metals (bronze, silver, and gold) that it was made from. So a gold coin was literally worth its weight in gold. Since there are an infinite number of weights, however, it is convenient to have coins that are a set weight, and thus a set relative value. Fluctuations in the values of precious metals and changes in Roman economy resulted in occasional retariffs, which changed the relative values of the coins.

In times of economic trouble, coins were made on the cheap. A silver coin might be made with 80% silver and 20% base metal, or the physical weight of the coin might be reduced, yet in both these cases the coin was still traded at its original value (as if it were pure precious metal and its original size). When the value of the metal in a coin is less than the buying power of the coin, the coin is said to be debased. This is obviously not a good thing. If further debasement occurs, a coin may be devalued, which means that the coin's value decreases relative to other coins in the system. A coin that has undergone substantial debasement may also be discontinued, as eventually happened with the antoninianus.

Because coins were made of precious metals, the Romans dealt with money differently than we do. For instance, dishonest people would shave a little off the edges of their coins before spending them (this was illegal). Over time they could save up a lot of silver and gold.

Coins were legally mutilated for two reasons: 1) coins were cut in half to make change, and 2) merchants sometimes made a test cut on a coin, slicing into the middle of it to ensure that what appeared to be a silver coin was solid silver and not really a bronze coin with a silver wash over it.

Arriving at an approximate date for a Roman coin is fairly easy since most Imperial coins have a portrait of the current emperor. There are of exceptions, of course. Not all coins have pictures of the emperor, especially the lower denominations like the quadrans--dating these coins can be difficult. It was also fairly common for an emperor to praise the previous emperor (and declare his godhood) by minting a few coins with the dead emperor's image--these coins often have the word "consecratio" on the reverse making them easy to spot.

During the Republic there was only one mint that we are aware of, and that was next to the Temple of Juno Moneta on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. At that time the Temple of Saturn, in the Forum Romanum, served as the treasury.

During the Republic all coins were minted by permission of the Senate; to indicate this many Republican coins carry the letters "SC" which stand for Senatus consultum "by decree of the Senate." Later, during the Empire, the emperor directly controlled the minting of silver and gold coins, leaving only the minting of bronze coins to the Senate.

During the Republic, a triumvirate of three mint magistrates oversaw the day-to-day operations of the mint. The full title of these magistrates is III viri aere argento auro flando feriundo, "three men (responsible) for the casting (and) striking of bronze, silver, (and) gold coins."

This title was most often abbreviated to III A.A.A.F.F. As part of Julius Caesar's overhaul of the monetary system in 44BC he added a fourth mint magistrate, although this extra position seems to have been eliminated after 40BC.

The position of mint magistrate was an extremely important one. During the Republic, a mint magistrate could put his name on coins, giving himself and his family a lot of good publicity.

Also, there was a strict order of offices, called the cursus honorum, that the politically ambitious man must hold after serving in the army. The first step was to hold one of the 20 offices in the Vigintivirate, of which the mint magistrate was one. During the empire, the most successful politicians began their careers as mint magistrates.

Coins could also legally be minted by higher-ranking officials such as quaestors, praetors, dictators, and the governors of Roman colonies. Roman generals like Caesar and Marc Anthony minted their own coins while campaigning so they could pay their men and buy supplies. The reverse side of these coins often have the name and symbols of the legion that the coins were being paid to.

During the reign of Augustus, the number of mints increased dramatically. Roman coins were being minted in Greece, Spain, Gaul, Lugdunum, Pergamum, and the East. Tiberius reduced the number of mints, made Lugdunum the only mint in the western part of the empire to issue silver and gold coins, and restricted the mint in Rome to issuing bronze coins.

Caligula reversed that by ordering the Roman mint to produce gold and silver coins again, and restricting Lugdunum to bronze. All bets are off during the chaos of the Civil Wars following Nero's suicide. As the Flavians took control, the primary resposibility for minting gradually returned to Rome.

Coins are often dug up in Europe to this very day. Popularity is the most subjective quality of all. It has nothing to do with the condition the coin is in, how many were minted, or how many exist.

It refers to the economic rule of supply and demand. Julius Caesar is the most famous Roman, and every collector wants one of his coins. The demand is high, so the price is also high.

The next most popular coins are any of the twelve Caesars:�Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Later coins are less popular, easier to find, and comparatively less expensive. You can find many good VF coins from 250AD and on for as little as $50.

Collecting Roman coins is a great way to learn about ancient Roman history, culture, and politics. It is an amazing and satisfying experience to hold a 1,800 year-old coin in your hand.







ANCIENT ROME ANCIENT AND LOST CIVILIZATIONS INDEX ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF ALL FILES CRYSTALINKS MAIN PAGE