Roman Coin | Silver Denarius

History of the Artifact The denarius was a small silver coin and one of the most important denominations in ancient Rome currency. Initially valued at ten asses (hence its name, derived from deni, meaning "ten"), it became the backbone of Roman commerce for centuries. The coin is considered by scholars to have been Rome’s main coin, until it was replaced by the Antoninianus in the early 3rd century AD, a coin of reduced silver content.   While the value of the denarius changed with economic ups and downs of Rome’s history, scholars estimate that one denarius coin was sufficient to buy enough wheat for one legionnaire to bake a month’s worth of bread.  The Denarius coin maintained strong silver purity from the coin’s beginning in 211 BC, up to 193, when the coin's purity was debased as a result of political instability in Rome. In these years of debasement, the denarius had its silver content greatly reduced, until it had a mere 5% silver purity.  What you will get in your order is a si