Roman society was thoroughly monetized in the 5th and 4rd centuries BCE, based on weighed out bronze bullion. In the late 4th c. BCE Rome started to mint its own coinage. By the turn to the 3rd c. BCE coin production was massive, and largely based on silver. What was the impetus to start producing coins? Why did things accelerate in the late 3rd and early 2nd centuries BCE? What triggered a change from a system of value based on bronze to one based on silver? This paper argues that the changed economic opportunities and state obligations, in the wake of Rome´s expansion into Southern Italy, and subsequently the entire Mediterranean, led to new requirements and possibilities for money.
Language: English
This is a hybrid event. Registration is required.
This event has been organized in collaboration with the German Archaeological Institute in Rome
