Rome has created perfect conditions for the internal and external trade thanks to creating uniformed monetary system. Roman coins were also highly appreciated behind the Empire borders among people without own monetary system, who accepted and gathered Roman coins eagerly. Roman money was a market product - at least for tribal elderly.
Romans recognized few kind of coins which have their equivalents in smaller nominal values. They were:
aureus - the gold coin, which equivalent was was 25 drachms or 25 denarii.
Rome has created perfect conditions for the internal and external trade thanks to creating uniformed monetary system. Roman coins were also highly appreciated behind the Empire borders among people without own monetary system, who accepted and gathered Roman coins eagerly. Roman money was a market product - at least for tribal elderly.
Romans recognized few kind of coins which have their equivalents in smaller nominal values. They were:
aureus - the gold coin, which equivalent was was 25 drachms or 25 denarii.
Drachm, denarius and obol, which were made from silver. Drachm and denarius were equivalents to each other, they wiegh 3,9 g.
Chalk, assis, quardrans which were made from bronze
Quardrans, made from copper, was the equivalent to 1/64 denarius
Stater, Greek silver coin, was the equivalent to 4 drachms.
Ancient Romans also used silver coins. They were the pieces of silver which were used just like coins. However this forms of payment concerned only foreigners. Silver coins were also paid to Judas for betrayal to Jesus Christ.
Another coin mentioned was the equivalent of Greek lepton and Roman minutum coin - the smallest bronze coin which weigh about 1,55g, and was the value of 1/8 of assis.
Unfortunately, the method of converting one coin into another isn’t known.
The trimetalism system, which was created during Augustus times, survived until the end of second century. It consisted of:
Gold coins (the highest title of gold):
gold (aureus) - 100 sestertius (400 assises)
Silver coins (silver and the alloys of silver, copper and tin)
denarius (= deni assises) – 4 sestertius (10 assises)
quinarius (= quini assises) - 2 stertius (5 assises)
sestertius (= semi terius) 2,5 ass, from the third century Romans used to express the sums of money in sestertiuses (earlier in assises).
Copper coins (copper or the alloys of copper, also bronze or brass):
assis, the symbol of low value during Empire times (Assis est.)
triens – 1/3 of assis
quadrans - ¼ of assis
sextant – 1/6 of assis
ounce - 1/12 of assis