The ''aureus'' ( ''aurei'', 'golden') was the main

gold coin A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22fineness#Karat, karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia (coin), Britannia, Canad ...

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

from the 1st century BC to the early 4th century AD, when it was replaced by the '' solidus''. This type of coin was sporadically issued during the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

and standardized during the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

, originally valued at 25 silver '' denarii'' and 100 ''sestertii''. It was about the same size as the ''denarius'', but heavier than the ''denarius'' since

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

is denser than

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

During the Republic

The production of proper

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum#Numismatics, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction during the Roman Republic, Republic, in the third century BC, through Roman Empire, Imperial ...

began in the 3rd century BC and was limited to the minting of bronze '' asses''; the gold brought back from spoils and war indemnities was stored in the public treasury (''

Aerarium ''Aerarium'', from ''aes'' ("bronze, money") + -''ārium'' ("place for"), was the name given in Ancient Rome to the public treasury, and in a secondary sense to the public finances. ''Aerarium populi Romani'' The main ''aerarium'', that of ...

''). According to the needs of the state finances, the gold in the reserve was sold for minted silver, at a ratio of 1 to 12. The

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

(218–201), due to its considerable financing needs, made it necessary to draw on the reserves of precious metal. Rome therefore issued silver ''denarii'' and several series of ''aurei'', but the production of gold coins ceased after the war. File:2 scrupulum coin.JPG, Issue worth 40 (XXXX) ''asses'', 211 BC. The obverse depicts the god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. File:L. Sulla & L. Manlius Torquatus, aureus, 82 BC, RRC 367-4.jpg, Issue minted by

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

, 82 BC. The obverse depicts Roma. File:C. Julius Caesar and L. Munatius Plancus, aureus, 45 BC, RRC 475-1a.jpg, Issue minted by

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

, 45 BC. The obverse depicts

Victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

. In the years following 87 BC, and in exceptional circumstances, the general

resumed issuing gold coins during his campaign in Greece. Disowned by the Senate and deprived of its financial support, he seized the treasures of the Greek and used them to issue gold or silver coins bearing his name. These issues also served a propaganda purpose during the ensuing civil war. In 49 BC,

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

, claiming that the Republic was in danger, seized the gold reserve of the public treasury and using it alongside his personal wealth during his civil war. The minting of the ''aureus'' resumed in itinerant workshops following the movements of Caesar's legions, then in Rome, at the standard weight equivalent to

\tfrac

of a

Roman pound The units of measurement of ancient Rome were generally consistent and well documented. Length The basic unit of Roman linear measurement was the ''pes'' (plural: ''pedes'') or Roman foot. Investigation of its relation to the English foot goes ...

(about 8

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...

s). This coin, made of pure gold, was called ''aureus nummus'' or ''denarius aureus'', "gold denarius". Shortly before his death, Caesar's began issuing silver coins with his own portrait, a departure from traditional coinage. The period following the

assassination of Julius Caesar Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC by a group of senators during a Roman Senate, Senate session at the Curia of Pompey, located within the Theatre of Pompey in Ancient Rome, Rome. The ...

in 44 BC saw competition between various factions, each mobilizing its own army and paying its soldiers in gold coins. Mints competing with that of Rome multiplied in Italy, Gaul, Roman Africa , Sicily , or itinerant ones depending on the movements of the armies. Each faction leader had his effigy and emblems struck: the triumvirs (

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

Lepidus Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (; 89 BC – late 13 or early 12 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who formed the Second Triumvirate alongside Octavian and Mark Antony during the final years of the Roman Republic. Lepidus had previously been ...

and Caesar's nephew

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

), the " liberators"

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

and Cassius Longinus, and

Sextus Pompey Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...

(the son of

Pompey the Great Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

). Octavian became sole master of the Roman world in 31 BC, after defeating his last opposition at Actium. Four years later, in 27 BC, he assumed the name and title of ''

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

'', marking his accession as the first Roman emperor. File:Marcus Iunius Brutus 10100420.jpg, Issue by

, 42 BC. File:Aureus Sextus Pompeius 42BC Goldberg.JPG, Issue by

, 42 BC. File:Aureus of Antony & Octavian, 40 BC.jpg, Issue by Antony and

, 40 BC.

Early Empire

struck the coin more often, and standardized the weight at

\tfrac

of a

(about 8

s).

Octavian Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

tariffed the value of the ''

sestertius The ''sestertius'' (: ''sestertii'') or sesterce (: sesterces) was an Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Roman currency, coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. During the Roman Empire it was a large ...

'' as

\tfrac

of an ''aureus''. The ''aureus'', which mint was placed at

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Colonia (Roman), Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon, France, Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but cont ...

, weighed 1/42 a pound (7.79 grams) and was worth 25 '' denarii'' and 100 '' sestertii''. A sub-multiple existed, the gold '' quinarius'' or half-''aureus''. The Augustan system of the 1st century was as follows: The mass of the ''aureus'' was decreased to

\tfrac

of a Roman pound (7.3 g) during the reign of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

(r. 54–68). According to

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

, writing at the start of the 3rd century, notes that the ''aureus'' was still worth 100 ''sesterii'', and comments that it was equivalent to 20 Greek

drachmas Drachma may refer to: * Ancient drachma, an ancient Greek currency * Modern drachma, a modern Greek currency (1833...2002) * Cretan drachma, currency of the former Cretan State * Drachma proctocomys, moth species, the only species in the Genus '' ...

. At about the same time the purity of the silver coinage was also slightly decreased. Octavian aureus circa 30 BCE

After the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

(r. 161–180) the production of ''aurei'' decreased, and the weight fell to

\tfrac

of a Roman pound (6.5 g) by the time of

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (; ), was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then r ...

(r. 211–217). During the 3rd century, the Roman Empire experienced a 50-year period of instability that also saw an increasingly severe economic and monetary crisis. The number and weight of ''aurei'' produced decreased more and more rapidly, dropping from about 7.20 grams under

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...

(r. 193–211) to less than 3.50 grams under Valerian (r. 253–260), about half of its original value. The simultaneous devaluation of gold and silver coins caused their mutual devaluation. While the correspondence of 25 denarii for 1 ''aureus'' was maintained during the 1st and 2nd centuries, the value of the ''aureus'' became unstable: a Greek inscriptions under the reign of

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

(r. 244–249) gives 1 ''aureus'' for 21 ''antoninianii'', or 42 ''denarii''. In addition, gold pieces were introduced in a variety of fractions and multiples, making it hard to determine the intended denomination of a gold coin. During Gallienus's reign, the purity was briefly reduced to 94%, and a small amount of coins were minted with as low as 80% purity. This was reset back to 99% by the next emperor. The devalued ''aureus'' would be replaced by the '' solidus'', during the 4th century. An early form of this coin was first introduced by

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

(r. 284–305) around 301 AD, when he struck at 60 to the Roman pound of pure gold (and thus weighing about 5.5 grams each) and with an initial value equal to 1,000 ''denarii''. In that same year, Diocletian issued the

Edict on Maximum Prices The Edict on Maximum Prices (Latin: ''Edictum de Pretiis Rerum Venalium'', "Edict Concerning the Sale Price of Goods"; also known as the Edict on Prices or the Edict of Diocletian) was issued in 301 by Diocletian. The document denounces greed ...

fixing a price for minted gold of 72,000 ''denarii'' per pound, or more than a thousand ''denarii'' for one ''aureus'', the denarius being no more than a unit of account. This authoritarian measure did nothing but stop the fluctuation of the ''aureus''. Diocletian's ''solidus'' was struck only in small quantities, and thus had only minimal economic effect, although its stable weight brought an end to the instability that had existed for a while. When the ''solidus'' was reintroduced by

Constantine I Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

(r. 306–337) in 312 AD, permanently replacing the ''aureus'' as the gold coin of the Roman Empire, it 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. 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. 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 Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

(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 Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

, the assassin of Gaius Julius Caesar, which had a price realized of $3.5 million in November 2020; there is an example of this coin on permanent display at the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

in London. An ''aureus'', issued by the emperor

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – March 235), also known as Alexander Severus, was Roman emperor from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. Alexander took power in 222, when he succeeded his slain co ...

(r. 222–235), has a picture of the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

on the reverse, and had a price realized of $920,000 in 2008. An ''aureus'' with the face of

Allectus Allectus (died 296) was a Roman-Britannic usurper-emperor in Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296. History Allectus was treasurer to Carausius, a Menapian officer in the Roman navy who had seized power in Britain and northern Gaul in 28 ...

was auctioned off in the United Kingdom for £552,000 in June 2019. File:Gold Aureus of Augustus (obverse).png, 1.

File:Gold aureus of Tiberius.jpg, 2.

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

File:Caligula&Germanicus Aureus (obverse).jpg, 3.

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

File:Aureus of Claudius (obverse).jpeg, 4.

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

File:Gold Aureus of Nero.png, 5.

File:Galba, aureus (obverse).jpg, 6.

Galba Galba ( ; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for 7 months from 8 June AD 68 to 15 January 69. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne follow ...

File:Gold Aureus of Otho.jpg, 7.

Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...

File:Vitellius, aureus, 69, RIC I 85 (obverse).jpg, 8.

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

File:INC-2056-a Ауреус. Веспасиан. Ок. 75—79 гг. (аверс).png, 9.

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

File:Rare aureus of Titus (obverse).jpg, 10.

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

File:INC-1882-a Ауреус. Домициан. Ок. 87 г. (аверс).png, 11.

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

File:Nerva aureus (obverse).png, 12.

Nerva Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynast ...

File:TRAJAN RIC II 257 (obverse).png, 13.

File:Hadrian RIC II 308 (obverse).jpg, 14.

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

File:INC-1833-a Ауреус Антонин Пий ок. 153-154 гг. (аверс).png, 15. Antoninus File:INC-1817-a Ауреус Марк Аврелий ок. 166-167 гг. (аверс).png, 16. Marcus File:INC-2957-a Ауреус. Луций Вер. Ок. 163—164 гг. (аверс).png, 17. Lucius File:INC-1818-a Ауреус Коммод ок. 186-187 гг. (аверс).png, 18.

Commodus Commodus (; ; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end o ...

File:Aureus of Pertinax (obverse).jpg, 19.

Pertinax Publius Helvius Pertinax ( ; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. He succeeded Commodus to become the first emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. Born to the son of a freed sl ...

File:Aureus Didius Iulianus (obverse).jpg, 20. Julianus File:Septimius Severus. AD 193-211 (obverse).jpg, 21. Severus File:Caracalla RIC 4A-211b (obverse).jpg, 22.

File:Rare aureus of Geta (obverse).jpg, 23.

Geta Geta may refer to: Places *Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region *Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland *Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal *Get� ...

File:Aureus Macrinus-RIC 0079 (cropped).jpg, 24.

Macrinus Marcus Opellius Macrinus (; – June 218) was a Roman emperor who reigned from April 217 to June 218, jointly with his young son Diadumenianus. Born in Caesarea (now called Cherchell, in modern Algeria), in the Roman province of Mauretania ...

File:INC-1854-a Ауреус Элагабал ок. 218-219 гг. (аверс).png, 25.

Elagabalus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus, 204 – 13 March 222), better known by his posthumous nicknames Elagabalus ( ) and Heliogabalus ( ), was Roman emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short r ...

File:INC-1855-a Ауреус Север Александр ок. 228 г. (аверс).png, 26.

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

References

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
{{Authority control Coins of ancient Rome Gold coins

During the Republic

Early Empire

See also

References

External links