Gold Roman aureus coin of Roman emperor Trajan. If you want to approximate the silver content, picture two of those old Roosevelt or Mercury head dimes. So if you want a rough feel of a denarius in terms of weight, think about an American nickel. Wikipedia says for an Aureus that is the gold content, not the weight of the coin.Īrticle also says there weren’t a lot of gold coins minted until Julius Caesar.įor comparison, here is the weight of current American coins:įor another reference, here is the weight and silver content of US coins from 1964 and earlier: Under Julius Caesar the 95% to 98% purity level would give silver content of around 0.1307 to 0.1348 ounces of silver.In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20:2, a day laborer is described as being hired at one denarius for the day. ![]() That would put annual income for common laborer at about 312 denarii a year for 6 days a week and 52 weeks a year. Before that the pay was 112.5 denarii a year.Īrticle says the lowest pay for a centurion was 3,750 denarii a year with the highest paid centurion earning 15,000.Ī common laborer is generally considered to have earned about 1 denarius a day. Here are a few hints to provide a frame of reference for the value of Roman silver coins.Īccording to the Wikipedia article, in 44BC a legionary’s pay was doubled to 225 denarii per year by Julius Caesar. Nero, who reigned from 37 AD through 68 AD debased the gold aureus from 8.18 grams of gold to 7.27 grams.Īrticle says 25 silver denarii are equal to 1 gold aureus. Tiberius accumulated a hoard of 675 million denarii. There is a comment that Tiberius slowly increased the fineness to 97.5% to 98%. Took a previous look at the Denarius here and here.įrom about 200 BC until about 64 AD the Roman Denarius was about 3.9 grams, at 95% or 98% purity. As a simple start, let’s look again at Wikipedia. ![]() So, you can go along with me on the journey, if you wish. Denarius Silver Roman Republican Coins (c.300 BC-27 BC), Denarius Roman Imperial Coins (96 AD-235 AD), Denarius Roman Imperial Coins (27 BC-96 AD), Gold Ancient Roman Coins, Denarius Bronze Roman Imperial Coins (96 AD-235 AD), Silver Ancient Roman Coins Additional site navigation. I’ve taken an interest in ancient currency and monetary issues lately, particularly as it give some insight into biblical times.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |