Under the emperor Commodus (177-192 AD), the silver content fell to 70%, and then following a brief period of civil war, the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) lowered the silver content to 45%.įoreign wars, a vast empire to police and finance, a restless population where there were soon more on the dole than there were working gave rise to a series of monetary crises. It continued to be lowered under later emperors but it was towards the end of the third century AD that a more serious debasement got under way. Under Nero (54-68 AD) it was reduced again, to 3.4 grams. Under the emperor Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD) the silver content fell to 3.9 grams. Its debasement began near the end of the Republican period and the start of the period known as the Roman Empire. It formed the backbone of the Roman Republic. In terms of measurement, it contained 4.5 grams of silver. Initially, the denarius contained roughly 90% silver. Two-and-a-half asses were equivalent to a sestertius 25 denarii equalled a gold aureus. The denarius was set at a price of 10 bronze asses (no jokes, please). It came into use around 212 BC and was a kind of successor to the Greek drachma, which was the reserve currency during the period of the Greek empire. The Roman denarius was the reserve currency of the Roman Empire. It reminded me of the chart of the loss of US$ purchasing power since 1774. I found the chart showing the decline of the silver content of the Roman denarius quite fascinating. Trajan Decius (249-251 AD) followed Phillip the Arab (244-249 AD). That period saw the reign of Trajan (98-117 AD). ![]() //tertullian/de fuga in persecutione/my brother fabius.Source: Note: on the chart above, the listing of Trajan Decius between the emperors Titus (79-81 AD) and Hadrian (117-138 AD) looks to be a mistake. Of another sort is the denarius which I owe to C?sar, a thing belonging to him. you believe in that God without whose will not even the sparrow, a penny can buy. /sketches of jewish social life/chapter 1 palestine eighteen centuries.htm Wont to receive for a day's work in field or vineyard a denarius (Matthew 20:2. Again, readers of the New Testament will remember that a labourer was /maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/ittai of gath.htm As plainly as the penny had the head of Tiberius on it, and therefore. image and superscription hath it?' said Christ, looking at the Roman denarius that /ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xvii st ambrose shows.htm The shekel or "piece of silver," was worth more, being of the value of. The denarius, or " penny," was worth about ninepence, and was the day wage of a labourer Ambrose Shows by Instances that the Places in which those. /arnot/the parables of our lord/ix the vineyard labourers.htm Obviously it was considered the ordinary rate of a labourer's wages at the time. The Roman denarius is reckoned equal to sevenpence half- penny of our money but /augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xvii john chapter iv.htm Shall have come to pass, we shall receive our wages, a penny ( denarius). God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ." In that hope, when the reality of the hope /johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/anointed for burial.htm Much as a dollar now, the whole sum would be equivalent to 300 now, a sum. As the penny, or denarius, was the price of a day's labor then, and would buy as /johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the five thousand fed.htm ![]() The penny, or denarius, was about seventeen cents, and was equivalent to about oneĭollar now, so that the whole sum would reach 200. /mother stories from the new testament/the labourers in the vineyard.htm Of the Roman Emperor, and worth about 16 cents of our money. FOOTNOTES: The penny, or denarius, was a silver coin, stamped with the image There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.Īnd on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said to him, Take care of him and whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you. And they say to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?įor it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. ![]() He answered and said to them, Give you them to eat. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. At the same time came the disciples to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
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