Aureus minted in 193 by Septimius Severus to celebrate XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix, the legion that proclaimed him emperor. Events By Place Roman Empire January 1 — Pertinax is proclaimed Roman Emperor. Lucius Septimius Severus (or rarely Severus I) ( April 11 145 - February 4 211) was a Roman general and Roman Emperor

The aureus (pl. aurei) was a gold coin of ancient Rome valued at 25 silver denarii. A gold coin is a flat disc-shaped piece of Gold that has been minted and issued by a government or private organization Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Roman Currency system included the denarius (plural denarii) after 211 BC a small Silver coin, The aureus was regularly issued from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th century AD, when it was replaced by the solidus. The solidus (the Latin word for solid) was originally a Gold coin issued by the Romans. The aureus is approximately the same size as the denarius, but is heavier due to the higher density of gold. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79

Before the time of Julius Caesar the aureus was struck very infrequently, usually to make large payments from captured booty. Caesar struck the coin more frequently and standardized the weight at ¹/₄₀ of a Roman pound (about 8 grams). The ancient Roman units of measurement were built on the Hellenic system with Egyptian, Hebrew, and Mesopotamian influences For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. The mass of the aureus was decreased to ¹/₄₅ of a pound (7. 3 g) during the reign of Nero. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called

After the reign of Marcus Aurelius the production of aurei decreased, and the weight was further decreased to 1/50th of a pound (6. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise" ( April 26, 121 – March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor 5 g) by the time of Caracalla. Caracalla ( April 4 188 &ndash April 8, 217) born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later During the third century gold pieces were introduced in a variety of fractions and multiples making it hard to determine the intended denomination of a gold coin.

However, regardless of the size or weight of the aureus, the coin's purity was little affected. Analysis of the Roman aureus shows the purity level usually to have been in excess of 99%, compared to 91. 7%(22k) for the British sovereign and the 90% of US gold coins. A Gold Sovereign is a Gold coin first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and still in production as of 2008

Due to runaway inflation caused by the government issuing base-metal coinage but refusing to accept anything other than silver or gold for tax payments, the value of the gold aureus in relation to denarii grew drastically. Inflation was also affected by the systematic debasement of the silver denarius which by the mid-third century had practically no silver left in it. The Roman Currency system included the denarius (plural denarii) after 211 BC a small Silver coin,

In 301 AD one gold aureus was worth 833¹/₃ denarii; by 324 AD the same aureus was worth 4,350 denarii. In 337 AD, after Constantine converted to the solidus, one solidus was worth 275,000 denarii and finally, by 356 AD, one solidus was worth 4,600,000 denarii. The solidus (the Latin word for solid) was originally a Gold coin issued by the Romans.

Constantine introduced the solidus in 309, replacing the aureus as the standard gold coin of the Roman empire. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine The solidus (the Latin word for solid) was originally a Gold coin issued by the Romans. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The solidus was a larger diameter and flatter coin, while the aureus was smaller and chunky and similar to the denarius in fabric.

See also

• Roman currency

External links

• Online numismatic exhibit: "This round gold is but the image of the rounder globe" (H.Melville). The charm of gold in ancient coinage