The Denarius

ancient rome · money · history

Rome's favorite coin. The denarius was the main silver coin that Romans used to buy things, pay taxes, and trade with each other starting around 211 BC. It stayed the most popular Roman coin for more than 400 years.

Born from war. The denarius was first created during the Second Punic War when Rome was fighting against Carthage. Rome needed a reliable coin to pay its soldiers and keep its economy strong during this huge conflict.

Coin of the people. Unlike gold coins that only rich people used, regular Romans could actually use denarius coins for daily shopping and work. This made it the everyday money that connected rich and poor throughout the Roman empire.

Slowly faded away. By around 238 AD, the denarius started being replaced by a newer coin called the antoninianus. Even so, Romans kept making a few denarius coins for many more years, probably for special ceremonies and traditions.