Roman coins

One of the reasons why we are able to date Roman archaeology with such accuracy is the abundance of coins produced during this period. In combination with pottery finds, which can often be identified as coming from a particular place at a particular time, they can enable us to be remarkably specific about the dates of sealed archaeological deposits. A coin mislaid by a Roman legionary 2,000 years ago can thus help us to date other finds made in association with it. At the very least, we know that the coin can't have been dropped there before the date when it was minted.

Barter
In common with other 'primitive' societies, the Roman Republic used barter before it developed a coinage. Cattle – pecus in Latin, from which came pecunia, or money – were the common standard of exchange. Rough pieces of bronze, called aes rude, were later used as small change.

Bronze and brass
From the early third century BC, these bronze pieces began to be standardised and marked, forming a regular currency. The basic unit was the as, which weighed one Roman pound, or libra (327.45g). This was divided into twelve aes grave, or Roman ounces. The main coins were as follows:

as
semis (half as)
triens (third as)
quadrans (quarter as)
sextans (sixth as)
uncia (twelfth as)

Silver and gold
From 269 BC, the Romans introduced a higher-denomination Greek-style silver coin. This lasted until around 187 BC, when the currency was reorganised and the silver denarius, worth about 10 asses, was introduced. Inflation led to the as being devalued later in the century, and by about 130 BC it was worth 16 to the denarius.

Under Augustus (who ruled from 31 BC to 14 AD), new coins were introduced and the gold aureus (worth 400 asses) became more common. The basic coinage thus became:

aureus (gold, worth 400 asses)
denarius (silver/silver alloy, worth 16 asses)
sestertius (brass, worth four asses)
dupondius (brass, two asses)
as (brass/bronze alloy)

Later empire
In the later empire, Caracalla (emperor from 211-217 AD) introduced the silver antonianus (worth two denarii); Diocletian (284-305 AD) replaced this with the bronze follis. Constantine (306-337 AD) introduced the gold solidus, of which there were 72 to a Roman pound of gold.

LSD, £sd and the Romans
Contrary to the sometimes-popular belief, Britain's pre-decimal currency had nothing to do with the Romans – except that pounds, shillings and pence were represented by the letters LSD, after the Roman librae, solidi and denarii.

Where money comes from
During the Roman Republic, coins were minted in the Temple of Juno Moneta on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. The word 'money' is derived from the name Moneta.

Roman coins websites

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There are a huge number of websites about Roman coins, many of them produced by commercial dealers. These two are among the best starting points.

Virtual Catalogue of Roman Coins
http://artemis.austinc.edu/acad/cml/rcape/vcrc/
A website devoted to helping students and teachers learn more about ancient Roman coins. These pages contain images and descriptions of coins from the early Republic through the end of the fourth century AD and the formal division of the Roman Empire into east and west.

Eight Hundred Years of Roman Coinage
http://www.ece.iit.edu/~prh/coins/PiN/rc.html
Detailed essay, by David R Sear of the Chicago Coin Club, with illustrations of coins from every period.

Coins of the Caesars
www.bedoyere.freeserve.co.uk/romancoins.htm
Time Team expert Guy de la Bédoyère's website contains lots of useful information (and photos) about Roman coins, including a short section on Britain.

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