Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
28
2.OutlinehistoryofRomanRepublicancoinage
inaway,ourchoiceof27BCasawatershedinRomannumismatics.
23
The
argumentsforusingtheyear27BCastheexactpointintimeseparatingthetwo
majorperiodsinthehistoryoftheRomanstateandcoinage,isnolessfrailthan
thoseforusing31BCforthesamepurpose.InthereorganizationoftheRoman
coinageaftertheperiodofcivilwars,Augustusretainedthesystembasedonthe
denarius,raisingitsweightandsilvercontent,previouslyslightlylowered.The
denariusstruckinalmostpuresilverwithaweightofca.3.99gwasstillvaluedat
16asses;issuedinsmallquantities,thequinariuscontinuedtohavethevalueof
halfadenarius.Multiplesoftheas(dupondius–2asses,sestertius–4asses)and
itshalf(semis)werestruckinbrass(orichalcum),theasitselfandthequadrans–
incopper.24Augustusalsocontinuedthegoldcoinage(aureus)revivedonamore
regularbasisbyJuliusCaesar,nowvaluedat25denarii.25Thehighstandardof
thedenariuswassustaineduntilAD64,whenNeroreduceditsweighttoca.3.18
g,loweringatthesametimeitsmediansilvercontenttoca.93.5%.26Subsequent
decadesbroughtsteadydevaluationofthedenarius;bytheAD190sthesilver
contentinthedenariuswoulddropbelow50%,andduringthesecondhalfof
thethirdcenturyAD,thedenariuspracticallybecameacoppercoinwithonly
symbolicsilvercontent.
FortheRepublicanperiod,therearethereforemanyissuesthatwecanassociate,
eitherwithconfidenceortentatively,withtheRomanstate.Alongsidethemwerein
existencequiteanumberofcoinsstruckaccordingtotheRomanmonetarysystem
bynon-Romanissuers.ThisistrueforexampleoftheIberiandenariuscoinage
thatcirculatedinwhattodayisSpainduringthesecondandearlyfirstcenturies
BC,
27
andthenorthernAfricanNumidiandenariiofthefirstcenturyBC.
28
Thiscoinagewasissuedbystatesthatwereusuallyinsomeformofdependence
ontheRomanRepublic,asarule,asaresultofitsinvolvementinawarwagedin
thatregionandtheneedtopayanarmy.Asmallquantityofthesenon-Roman
denariienteredcirculationintheRomanstate;thisisconfirmedbythepresence
ofNumidiancoinsinsomedenariihoardsfromItaly.29
NexttocoinsstruckaccordingtotheRomandenominationalstandards,the
monetarysystemoftheRomanRepublicatlargemaybesaidtohavealsoincluded
GreekcoinageissuedineasternregionsoftheMediterranean,incorporatedby
Romeasprovinces,orcoinsstruckbyHellenisticstatessubjecttoRome.30Silver
23Ananalogousapproachwaspresentedbye.g.,ErnestBabelon(Babelon1885,p.XI)and
AndrzejKunisz(Kunisz2001,p.342)
24Sutherland1984,p.3andf.
25Sutherland1984,p.3.
26Kunisz1978,pp.74-97;Sutherland1984,p.4-5.
27Crawford1985,pp.91-97.
28Crawford1985,pp.247-248.
29Seee.g.Crawford1969,p.123(theContiglianohoard),125(theAvetranahoard),131(the
Cerriolohoard).
30Crawford1985,pp.143-221.
