IMPORTANT DATES IN ROMAN COIN HISTORY

The Roman Republic

Collectors have traditionally divided Roman coins issues into two groups - the Republican coins struck prior to 27 B.C. and the Roman Imperial coins struck after that date. By about 300 B.C., Rome was supreme in Italy and the first true Roman coins made their appearance. These coins were cast and known as the "aes grave" or "heavy bronze." The largest coin was an "as" and weighed several ounces. The lower values each have the head of a different god or goddess while the reverse of these coins always shows the prow of a galley and "roma" in the legend .

In 268 B.C. the first silver coins were struck in Rome. The largest of these were the denarius, which was equal to ten asses. It was meant to replace the Greek didrachma and was subdivided into denominations of  ½ and ¼. The denarius was to be coined only by the state. In 49 B.C. Julius Caesar declared the gold aureus, which equaled twenty-five denarii, as the standard gold coin of the realm.

753 Rome founded
509 Republic set up
443 First censors
268 First coinage of Denarius and Sesterce

264-241 First Punic War or Carthaginian War
241 Naval Victory over Carthage
219-201 Second Punic War
216  Hannibal's Victory at Cannae
202  Scipio's Defeat of Hannibal
150-146  Third Punic War
146  Carthage Destroyed; Conquest of Greece Completed
133-121 Attempted Reforms of the Gracchi
107-87 Marius in Power
83-80  Sulla in Power
60  First Triumvirate: Crassus, Pompey and Caesar
58-49 Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul
49-44  Caesar in Power
44  Caesar Assassinated
43  Second Triumvirate: Antony, Octavian and Lepidus
31  Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium.

The Roman Empire

Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome reformed the Roman coinage, establishing a system with denominations in gold, silver and bronze that was to survive for more than 200 years.

Coinage of Augustus

Denomination                 Metal                 Value

Aureus                           Gold                 25 denarii
Denarius                        Silver               16 asses
Quinarius                       Silver               8 asses
Sestertius                       Brass               4 asses
Dupondius                      Brass               2 asses
As                                  Copper             4 quadrantes
Semis                             Brass               2 quadrantes
Quadrans                       Copper             ¼ as

27  Augustus ( Octavian ) Emperor ( Reign : 27 B.C. - 14 A.D.)

9  Varus Defeated by the Teutonic Tribes

14-37  Tiberius
30  Jesus Crucified
37-41 Caligula 
41-54  Claudius     
54-68  Nero          
64  Rome Burned
68-69 Civil War
69-79  Vespasian 
79-81  Titus             
81-96  Domitian       
96-8  Nerva             
98-117  Trajan           

117-38  Hadrian     
138-61 Antoninus Pius   
161-80  Marcus Aurelius
180-92  Commodus
284-305  Diocletian           
301  Price-fixing by Diocletian
303-311  Persecution of Christians
305-337  Reign of Constantine
312  Constantine ends Persecution of Christians
330  Constantinople Founded as Capital of Eastern Roman Empire
403  Ravenna Replaces Milan as Western Roman Capital
410  Alaric Sacks Rome
429  Vandals in North Africa
449  Saxons in Britain
455  Vandals Sack Rome
466  Visigoths in Spain
476  End of Western Roman Empire
1453  End of Eastern Roman Empire