Aureus - Wikipedia Aureus From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search For other uses, see Aureus (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Aureus" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Aureus minted in 193 by Septimius Severus to celebrate XIV Gemina Martia Victrix, the legion that proclaimed him emperor The aureus (pl. aurei, 'golden', used as a noun) was a gold coin of ancient Rome originally valued at 25 pure silver denarii. 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 aureus was about the same size as the denarius, but heavier due to the higher density of gold (as opposed to that of silver). Before the time of Julius Caesar the aureus was struck infrequently, probably because gold was seen as a mark of un-Roman luxury.[citation needed] Caesar struck the coin more often, and standardized the weight at 1 40 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{40}}} of a Roman pound (about 8 grams). Augustus (r. 29 BC – 14 AD) tariffed the value of the sestertius as 1 100 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{100}}} of an aureus. The mass of the aureus was decreased to 1 45 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{45}}} of a pound (7.3 g) during the reign of Nero (r. 54–68). At about the same time the purity of the silver coinage was also slightly decreased. Aureus of Octavian, c. 30 BC After the reign of Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180) the production of aurei decreased, and the weight fell to 1 50 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{50}}} of a pound (6.5 g) by the time of Caracalla (r. 211–217). During the 3rd century, gold pieces were introduced in a variety of fractions and multiples, making it hard to determine the intended denomination of a gold coin.[1] The solidus was first introduced by Diocletian (r. 284–305) around 301 AD, struck at 60 to the Roman pound of pure gold (and thus weighing about 5.5 g each) and with an initial value equal to 1,000 denarii. However, Diocletian's solidus was struck only in small quantities, and thus had only minimal economic effect. The solidus was reintroduced by Constantine I (r. 306–337) in 312 AD, permanently replacing the aureus as the gold coin of the Roman Empire. The solidus was struck at a rate of 72 to a Roman pound of pure gold, each coin weighing twenty-four Greco-Roman carats, or about 4.5 grams of gold per coin. By this time, the solidus was worth 275,000 of the increasingly debased denarii. 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 near to 24 karat gold, so in excess of 99% pure. Gold content and price comparison Name Gold content Julius Caesar Aureus Julius Caesar Aureus 8.18 grams 1.000 Nero Aureus 7.27 grams 0.889 Caracalla Aureus 6.55 grams 0.800 Diocletian Aureus 5.45 grams 0.667 Constantine Solidus 4.55 grams 0.556 British Sovereign 7.32 grams 0.895 USA Eagle 1837–1933 15.05 grams 1.839 USA Gold Dollar 1849–1889 1.51 grams 0.184 USA Gold Eagle 1986–present 31.10 grams 3.802 Due to runaway inflation caused by the Roman government's 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 the denarius grew drastically. Inflation was also affected by the systematic debasement of the silver denarius, which by the mid-3rd century had practically no silver left in it. In 301, one gold aureus was worth 833⅓ denarii; by 324, the same aureus was worth 4,350 denarii. In 337, after Constantine converted to the solidus, one solidus was worth 275,000 denarii and finally, by 356, one solidus was worth 4,600,000 denarii. Today, the aureus is highly sought after by collectors because of its purity and value, as well its historical interest. An aureus is usually much more expensive than a denarius issued by the same emperor. For instance, in one auction, an aureus of Trajan (r. 98–117) sold for $15,000, and a silver coin of the same emperor sold for $100. The most expensive aureus ever sold was one issued in 42 BC by Marcus Junius Brutus, the assassin of Gaius Julius Caesar, which had a price realized of $3.5 million in November 2020.[2] (There is an example of this coin on permanent display at the British Museum in London.) An aureus, issued by the emperor Alexander Severus (r. 222–235), has a picture of the Colosseum on the reverse, and had a price realized of $920,000 in 2008.[3] An aureus with the face of Allectus was auctioned off in the United Kingdom for £552,000 in June 2019.[4] See also[edit] Numismatics portal Guilder Polish złoty References[edit] ^ The Imperial Roman Economy. "Hoarding, Gresham's Law and All That". www.forumancientcoins.com. ^ "Goldberg Coins and Collectibles". Images.goldbergauctions.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07. ^ "Goldberg Coins and Collectibles". Images.goldbergauctions.com. Retrieved 2014-06-07. ^ "Metal detectorist 'ecstatic' after find on farm turns out to be ultra-rare Roman coin fetching £552,000 at auction". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2019-06-10. External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aureus. Online numismatic exhibit: "This round gold is but the image of the rounder globe" (H.Melville). The charm of gold in ancient coinage v t e Currencies of Ancient Rome Proto-currency Bronze Aes rude Aes signatum Republican era Gold Aureus Silver Denarius Sestertius Victoriatus Quadrigatus Bronze and copper Dupondius (2 asses) As (1) Dodrans (3⁄4) Bes ( 2⁄3) Semis ( 1⁄2) Quincunx ( 5⁄12) Triens ( 1⁄3) Quadrans ( 1⁄4) Sextans ( 1⁄6) Uncia ( 1⁄12) Semuncia ( 1⁄24) Early Empire Gold Aureus Dacicus Silver Antoninianus (32 asses) Denarius (16) Quinarius (8) Copper Double sestertius (8) Sestertius ( 2+1⁄2; later 4) Dupondius (2) As (1) Semis ( 1⁄2) Quadrans ( 1⁄4) Diocletian era Gold Solidus Silver Argenteus Nummus Copper Radiate Laureate Denarius Late Empire Gold Solidus Tremissis Silver Miliarense Siliqua Copper and bronze Follis Nummus Constantinian bronzes Centenionalis Ancient Rome Portal Numismatics Portal Authority control Integrated Authority File Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aureus&oldid=1024393628" Categories: Coins of ancient Rome Gold coins Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from January 2008 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020 Commons link is on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages العربية Български Català Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara Français Galego 贛語 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Latina Lietuvių Македонски Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本語 Norsk bokmål Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 21 May 2021, at 20:57 (UTC). 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