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The first coins minted in Rome used in their representations themes related to the history and the Roman mythology, without any references to people of the government as in the last part of the Republic and along the whole Empire; for this reason, this first phase of the Roman coinage is named as anonymous coinage.
The first issued coin from the Roman government was the as (or serious aes or aes hover her), introduced with the development of the commerce on the sea around the 335 a.C.. You initially production of the as happened through fusion and only subsequently through coinage.
Gives the dependence of the value of the coin from the quantity of metal contained, the monetary system of the Romans it recalled him their system ponder her, with a weight for the equal as initially to a Latin pound (273 gs), passing then to a Roman pound (373 gs).
The as was divided in twelve ounces, with the 5 sottomultiplis given by:
These were identified on the back with a brand that you/they expressed the value with the letter "S" for the semisse or with a number of "globetti" that they point out the value of it in comparison to the ounce for the others. The multiples were
The images brought on the as and his/her multiples and sottomultipli were mainly tied to the Roman mythology with heads of divinity coined on the front and value of the coin together with tied up figures to the Roman civilization on the back. Among the series of serious aes, the most diffused was that of the "bow of ship", in base to the present image in the reverse; presumably this image remembered the naval victory in Rome on the Latin league to Anzio in 338 to. C. and to the conquest of the supremacy on the sea.
The value of the as progressively reduced him in the time, acquiring as the value of its fractions, with 1/2 Roman pound in the 286 a.C., 1/6 of pound in the 268 a.C., 1 ounce (that is 1/12 of pound) in the 217 a.C. and 1/2 ounce in the 89 a.C.. The use of the bronze for the mintage of the coins has term in the 79 a.C..
The silver coin that constituted the skeleton of the Roman economy was the denarius, coined beginning from the 268 a.C.. its initial value was of 10 aces, equal to 1/72 of pound (4,55 gs).
In the 217 a.C. the denarius was revalued to 16 aces, following the reduction of the value of this last. even if the denarius stayed the carrying element of the Roman economy, from its introduction up to the term of its mintage in halves the III century DC, the purity and the weight of the coin slowly went reducing himself/herself/itself. This devaluation was caused and from a series of factors, what the lack of precious metal, the scarce rigor of the government finances and the presence of a strong inflation.
On the front of the denarius Rome is brought, typically mind on the back the dioscuris appear.
The production of coins in gold in Rome was sporadic before the conquest of the Gallia from Giulio Cesare, with the consequent availability of metal of its mines.
The first issue of golden it was had in the 286 a.C., with a weight of 6,81g, followed by a series in the 209 a.C. with a weight of 3,41 gs. The first golden legacies to the Roman monetary system were had in the 87 a.C. from Silla, with a value of 1/30 of pound equal to 9,11 gs. it Followed an issue in the 61 a.C. from Pompeo, with a value of 1/36 of pound equal to 9,06 gs.
In the 48 a.C. they began the issues from Caesar, initially with a value of 1/38 of pound (8,55 gs) and subsequently (always in the 48 a.C.) with a value of 1/40 of pound (8,02 gs).
With the coins of Caesar, it finishes the phase of the anonymous or tied up coinage to the family of the monetary judges to begin the issue of tied up coins to the figure of the regent the government of Rome.