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Eventually, the republican coins began featuring the moneyer’s name. The earliest imagery on Roman coins consisted of a bust of Roma on the obverse with a deity on the reverse. During the era of the Roman Republic, the responsibility of deciding the kind of imagery to feature on the coins rested with the committee of tresviri monetales which means ‘trio of money men’. Republican iconographyĪlthough the main role of the Roman currency was economic, they also had a political significance which was reflected through the iconography on the coins. Other important coin types in ancient Roman life included dupondius, assarius, semis, triens, and quadrans. Also in 211 BC, sestertius was introduced which had a worth of 2.5 asses. It was also introduced in 211 BC and had a worth of 5 asses which later increased to 10 asses. There was another coin for half-denarius which was known as quinarius. Denarius remained an integral part of Roman currency for over four hundred years. It was a small coin made of silver and had a worth of 10 asses which later increased to 16 asses. The first major development took place in 211 BC when denarius was introduced in Rome. Having access to strategic locations along the Mediterranean sea allowed the Roman empire to have influence over the trading routes and finances of the region.Ī variety of coin types were prevalent during different times of Roman currency. Various reforms about Roman currency, trading, and finances were undertaken over the course of centuries or ancient rome, and although the coins of this civilisation were made of precious metals such as gold and silver, their actual value was slightly higher than the worth of that quantity of the metal.
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The currency of ancient Rome typically consisted of coins made from various metals such as gold, silver, bronze and copper.
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