5/21/2023 0 Comments Double denarius![]() Although nominally valued at two denarii, the antoninianus never contained more than 1.6 times the amount of silver of the denarius. The coin is commonly called the antoninianus by numismatists after the emperor Caracalla, who introduced the coin in early in 215. This was followed by the introduction of a double denarius piece, differentiated from the denarius by the radiate crown worn by the emperor. ![]() The denarius continued to decline slowly in purity, with a notable reduction instituted by Septimius Severus. The coinage of the Julio-Claudians remained stable at 4 grams of silver, until the debasement of Nero in 64, when the silver content was reduced to 3.8 grams, perhaps due to the cost of rebuilding the city after fire consumed a considerable portion of Rome. The obverse features a galley and the name Antony, while the reverse features the name of the particular legion that each issue was intended for (it is interesting to note that hoard evidence shows that these coins remained in circulation over 200 years after they were minted, due to their lower silver content). These coins, slightly smaller in diameter than a normal denarius, were made of noticeably debased silver. An example of this is the denarii that were struck by Mark Antony to pay his army during his battles against Octavian. The large number of coins required to raise an army and pay for supplies often necessitated the debasement of the coinage. The theoretical standard, although not usually met in practice, remained fairly stable throughout the Republic, with the notable exception of times of war. When introduced, the denarius contained nearly pure silver at a theoretical weight of approximately 4.5 grams. While it is not clear why debasement was such a common occurrence for the Romans, it's believed that it was caused by several factors, including a lack of precious metals, inadequacies in state finances, and inflation. The problem of debasement in the Roman economy appears to be pervasive, although the severity of the debasement often paralleled the strength or weakness of the Empire. From the time of Constantine until the "end" of the Roman Empire, coins featured indistinguishable, idealized portraits and general proclamations of greatness.Īlthough the denarius remained the backbone of the Roman economy from its introduction in 211 BC until it ceased to be normally minted in the middle of the third century, the purity and weight of the coin slowly, but inexorably, decreased. Muted Christian imagery, such as standards that featured Christograms (the chi-rho monogram for Jesus Christ’s name in Greek) were introduced, but with a few rare exceptions, there were no explicitly Christian themes. These general types persisted even after the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. The reverse types featured legends that proclaimed the glory of Rome, the glory of the army, victory against the "barbarians", the restoration of happy times, and the greatness of the emperor. The reverse types of coins of the late Empire emphasized general themes, and discontinued the more specific personifications depicted previously. He tries to emphasize unity amongst the Romans by featuring the spirit of Romans (Sutherland 254). The introduction of a new type of government and a new system of coinage represents an attempt by Diocletian to return peace and security to Rome, after the previous century of constant warfare and uncertainty.ĭiocletian characterizes the emperor as an interchangeable authority figure by depicting him with a generalized image. The reverse type was equally universal, featuring the spirit (or genius) of the Romans. ![]() This image was not meant to show the actual portrait of a particular emperor, but was instead a caricature that embodied the power that the emperor possessed. The new imagery includes a large, stern portrait that is representative of the emperor. The new government set up by Diocletian was a tetrarchy, or rule by four, with each emperor receiving a separate territory to rule. The type of coins issued changed under the coinage reform of Diocletian, the heavily debased antoninianus (double denarius) was replaced with a variety of new denominations, and a new range of imagery was introduced that attempted to convey different ideas.
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