Coins of the Roman Republic

How the art of numismatics began ( probably)

Roman nobles, fascinated by Greek culture, collected Greek coins  and  antiquities during the reign of Augustus Caesar, when the art and science of numismatics began.  Although there is no record of  coin collecting  during the Dark Ages,  Renaissance magnates beginning with a famous scholar Francesco Petrarca ( 14th c.) collected portraits of  emperors on Roman coins. Their willingness to pay high prices for fine portrait specimens led to the first  numismatic imitations,  Paduan medals struck by Cavino and other medalists of the time.

Different coin types attract different personalities.  While Greek coins fascinate collectors drawn to their artistic merit, Roman Imperial  issues attract those who prize their realistic and imposing portraits of emperors and their families. Persian coins have  special meaning to collectors interested in the culture and religion of ancient Iran, and the successors of Alexander issued unusual and attractive Indo-Greek coins in Southwest Asia. Ancient coins were struck in many metals: gold, silver, electrum (a natural gold-silver alloy), brass, bronze, billon  (debased silver), potin, lead and even nickel. Although ancient gold can be expensive, some issues  (notably those of the Byzantine Empire) are very reasonably priced. Silver coins are normally well preserved, however bronze coins often  circulated for long periods and many examples show considerable wear, as well as the effects of natural chemical changes.

ROMAN COINAGE: 

Roman coinage did not result from any economic or military necessity, and could at first fulfill only the most limited functions. It arose, arguably, from the cultural influence of Greece and the Greek cities in southern Italy: the Romans wanted their city to have the civilisation of Greek cities, and saw the production of their own coinage as one important aspect of this process.

Coinage was introduced by the Roman Republican government in about 300 BC,pretty late when one looks at Greece and Greek city states that have used coinage for previous 3 centuries.

The early years of Roman Republican coinage are characterized by a few currency systems all fused together. The 'aes signatum' were large, rectangular cast copper alloy rectangular bars- weighing all up to 1600gr, denomination was 1 'as'.

Denomination	Division of an as	Denominational mark
As	One	I
Semis	Half an as	S
Triens	Third of an as	••••
Quadrans	Quarter of an as	•••
Sextans	Sixth of an as	••
Uncia	Twelfth of an as	•

The coins were also struck in silver and bronze. There were 2 denominations in silver ( didrachms and drachms)-derived from the Greek coinage of southern Italy. Roman identity of the coinage was secured by stamping 'Romano' on them.

Currency bars went out of use as different systems merged into one. A janiform head (representing the Roma deity Janus with face looking both ways) was used on the obverse of the gold and silver denominations.

The silver coins minted later in the period represented a quadriga ( a chariot drawn by 4 horses) and was thus called 'quadrigati'.

 AR Quadrigatus,6.3gr,225BC-212BC



AR Drachm, 3.4gr, 157BC-155BC

Produced using the manner of manufacture then utilised in the Greek colony of Naples, the designs of these early coins was also heavily influenced by Greek designs.The designs on the coinage of the Republican period displayed a "solid conservatism", usually illustrating mythical scenes or personifications of various gods and goddesses.

Imagery on the earliest denarii usually consisted of the bust of Roma on the obverse, and a deity driving a biga or quadriga on the reverse. There was no mention of the moneyer’s name, although occasionally coins featured control marks such as small symbols, letters, or monograms which might have been used to indicate who was responsible for a particular coin. Eventually, monograms and other symbols were replaced with abbreviated forms of the moneyer’s name. After the addition of their names, moneyers began to use the coins to display images that relate of their family history. An example of this are the coins of Sextus Pompeius Fostulus, which feature his traditional ancestor, Fostulus, watching Romulus and Remus suckling from a mother wolf. While not every coin issued featured references to an ancestor of a moneyer, the number of references increased and the depictions became more and more of current interest. Self-promoting imagery on coins was part of the increasing competition amongst the ruling class in the Roman Republic. The Lex Gabinia, which introduced secret ballots in elections in order to reduce electoral corruption, is indicative of the degree of competition amongst the upper class of this time period. The imagery on Republican coins wasn’t meant to influence the populace; the messages were designed for and by the elite.
Besides the denarius, there was a victoriatus.
The victoriatus was a silver coin minted during the time of the Roman Republic, originally minted around 221 BC. The obverse of the coin featured the bust of Jupiter, while the reverse featured a man placing a wreath above a trophy. Beneath the trophy is the inscription “ROMA.” This coin was released as a coin worth one-half a denarius and was made of debased silver. This debased silver contained more impurities, saving money for the Republic by using less silver in the coinage.

Victoriatus 211BC-208BC