Provincial coinage was issued sporadically with a wide variety of values following Greek denominations. ![]() Provincial coinage has several features that make it very different from Roman Imperial coinage, which was issued regularly and had fixed denominations like the As, Sestertius or Denarius. These coins can have legends in either Greek or Latin, sometimes both, because many of these areas were once part of the illustrious empire of Greece's Alexander the Great. Today, these coins make up the group known as Provincial coinage, which some collectors call Greek Imperials, and are a fascinating story in the history of ancient Roman coins. These local coins, once struck at over 600 provincial mints, could circulate within a single city or across a region. Because the Romans left local systems like religion, rulers and coinage in place, those areas all produced their own coins. ![]() Provincial CoinageĪs Rome spread its influence and consolidated power, lands once held by barbarian tribes, independent city-states, and Hellenistic kingdoms fell under its authority. Other collectors may specialize in the deities featured on the reverses of many different imperial coins – including Cybele the mother of all gods, Venus the goddess of love, Mars the god of war, or Minerva the goddess of wisdom. Collectors of ancient Roman coins often seek coins depicting the most famous emperors – such as Octavian, Tiberius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, or Marcus Aurelius. 284-305 reign of Diocletian – when ancient Rome split into eastern and western empires along Latin and Greek lines of influence and culture. Ancient Roman coins available today are from nearly 90 different rulers from the 27 B.C. Roman Imperial coinage is still periodically unearthed in regions controlled by Rome in ancient times. The reverses of Roman Imperial coinage feature a wide variety of deities, mythological figures, military images, and symbols of authority.īecause there were no banks in ancient times, citizens and soldiers often buried coins to keep them secure – and fortunately for collectors today, many of those hoards were never retrieved. These coins were often the only way to let the subjects know who was in charge and to some extent, what he looked like. Most old coins of the Imperial era depict the reigning emperor on the obverse along with inscriptions identifying the ruler and his titles. – when the Senate created the title of Augustus (emperor) for Octavian, granting him full authority over the entire empire. The Roman Republican era ended and the Roman Empire began in 27 B.C. ![]() Shown here are a Marcus Aurelius silver Denarius (top) and a Trajan Decius silver Antoninianus. Most Roman Imperial coinage depicts the ruling emperor on the obverse. During the third century A.D., the silver Denarius was replaced by the "Double Denarius" now commonly known as the Antoninianus – which in turn was replaced during the 284-305 reign of Diocletian with such denominations as the silvered bronze Follis and the silver Siliqua (originally known as the Argenteus). These hand-struck old coins included the gold Aureus, silver Denarius, bronze Sestertius, bronze Dupondius, and copper As – which often depicted mythological figures on issues of the Roman Republic, and usually depicted reigning leaders on Roman Imperial coinage. ![]() Before long, hand-struck Roman coins of various compositions appeared, which were issued through the remainder of the Republican era and well into the third century A.D. These were cast bronze coins – introduced during the third century B.C. The history of ancient Roman coins begins with the first old coins of the Roman Republic (c. Hand-struck Roman Republic silver Denarii like these were produced between 154-41 B.C.
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