Information AboutDenarius |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DENARIUS | |
| coins of ancient rome | |
| silver coins | |
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The , as the most common coin in circulation. It is difficult to give even comparative values for money from before the 20th Century , due to vastly different types of products, however, its purchasing power in terms of bread has been estimated at US$ 20 in the early empire. Classical historians regularly say that in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire the daily wage for an unskilled laborer was one denarius, estimated at $20. (By comparison, an American laborer earning the Federal minimum wage makes $41 for an 8-hour day, while the average American makes $180 a day.) The actual silver content of the Denarius was about 50 Grains , or 1/10 Troy Ounces under the Empire. The denarius was first struck in 211 BCE during the Roman Republic , valued at 10 Asses , giving the denarius its name which translates to "containing ten". In about 141 BCE it was re-tariffed at 16 asses, to reflect the decrease in size of the As . The denarius continued to be the main coin of the empire until it was replaced by the Antoninianus in the middle of the 3rd Century . The fineness of the silver content varied with political and economic circumstances. Even after the denarius was no longer regularly issued, it continued to be used as an accounting device and the name was applied to later Roman coins in a way that is not understood. The lasting legacy of the denarius can be seen in the use of "d" as the abbreviation for the old French Denier and the British Penny prior to 1971. The denarius also survives in the common Arabic name for a currency unit, the '' Dinar '' used from pre-Islamic times, and still used in several modern Arabic-speaking nations. The Spanish word ''dinero'' (money), and the Portuguese word ''dinheiro'' (money), are also derived from Latin "denarius". {Link without Title} The gold '' Aureus '' seems to have been a "currency of account", a denomination not commonly seen in daily transactions due to its high value. Numismatists think that the aureus was used to pay bonuses to the legions at the accession of new emperors. It was valued at 25 denarii. 1 Gold aureus = 2 gold quinarii = 25 silver denarii = 50 silver Quinarii =100 bronze sestertii = 200 bronze dupondii = 400 copper asses = 800 copper Semis ses = 1600 copper Quadrans SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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