View source for Denarius

{{Short description|Ancient Roman coin}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2015}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2018}}
{{Italic title}}
[[File:Octavian and Antony denarius.jpg|thumb|''Denarius'' of [[Mark Antony]] and [[Augustus|Octavian]], struck at Ephesus in 41 BC. The coin commemorated the two men's defeat of Brutus and Cassius a year earlier as well as celebrating the new [[Second Triumvirate]].|360x360px]]
[[File:8denarii.jpg|thumb|right|Top row (left to right): 157 BC [[Roman Republic]], 73 AD [[Vespasian]], 161 AD [[Marcus Aurelius]], 194 AD [[Septimius Severus]]; <br /> Second row (left to right): 199 AD [[Caracalla]], 200 AD [[Julia Domna]], 219 AD [[Elagabalus]], 236 AD [[Maximinus Thrax]]]]
The '''''denarius''''' ({{IPA|la|deːˈnaːriʊs|lang}}; {{plural form}}: '''''dēnāriī''''', {{IPA|la|deːˈnaːriiː|lang}}) was the standard [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[silver coin]] from its introduction in the [[Second Punic War]] {{circa|211 BC}}<ref>Crawford, Michael H. (1974). Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge University Press, 2 Volumes. {{ISBN|0-521-07492-4}}</ref> to the reign of [[Gordian III]] (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the ''[[antoninianus]]''. It continued to be minted in very small quantities, likely for ceremonial purposes, until and through the [[Tetrarchy]] (293–313).<ref>{{cite book|author=David. L. Vagi|title=Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, c. 82 BC–AD 480|volume=II|publisher=Coin World|location=Sydney, Ohio}}</ref>{{rp|87}}

The word ''dēnārius'' is derived from the [[Latin]] ''dēnī'' "containing ten", as its value was originally of 10 ''[[As (Roman coin)|assēs]]''.<ref group=note>Its value was increased to 16 assēs in the middle of the 2nd century BC.</ref> The word for "money" descends from it in Italian (''denaro''), Slovene (''denar''), Portuguese (''dinheiro''), and Spanish (''dinero''). Its name also survives in the [[dinar]] currency.

Its symbol is represented in [[Unicode]] as 𐆖 (U+10196), a numeral monogram that appeared on the obverse in the Republican period, denoting the 10 ''asses'' ("X") to 1 ''denarius'' ("I") conversion rate. However it can also be represented as X̶ (capital letter X with combining long stroke overlay).

==History==
[[File:Fineness_of_early_Roman_Imperial_silver_coins.png|thumb|300px|Starting with [[Nero]] in 64 AD, the Romans continuously debased their silver coins until, by the end of the 3rd century AD, hardly any silver was left.]]
A predecessor of the ''denarius'' was first struck in 269 or 268 BC, five years before the [[First Punic War]],<ref>A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, William Smith, D.C.l., LL, D., John Murray, London 1875, pp. 393, 394.</ref> with an average weight of 6.81&nbsp;[[gram]]s, or {{frac|1|48}} of a [[Roman pound]]. Contact with the Greeks had prompted a need for silver coinage in addition to the bronze currency that the Romans were using at that time. This predecessor of the ''denarius'' was a Greek-styled silver coin of ''didrachm'' weight, which was struck in [[Naples|Neapolis]] and other Greek cities in southern Italy.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage|last=Metcalf|first=William E.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-19-937218-8|location=New York|pages=300}}</ref> These coins were inscribed with a legend that indicated that they were struck for Rome, but in style they closely resembled their Greek counterparts. They were rarely seen at Rome, to judge from finds and hoards, and were probably used either to buy supplies or to pay soldiers.

The first distinctively Roman silver coin appeared around 226 BC.<ref>The Numismatic Circular, Volume 8–9, Spink & Son, 1899–1900 Piccadilly West, London.</ref> Classical historians have sometimes called these coins "heavy ''denarii''", but they are classified by modern numismatists as [[quadrigatus|''quadrigati'']], a term which survives in one or two ancient texts and is derived from the ''[[quadriga]]'', or four-horse chariot, on the reverse. This, with a two-horse chariot or ''[[Biga (chariot)|biga]]'' which was used as a reverse type for some early ''denarii'', was the prototype for the most common designs used on Roman silver coins for a number of years.<ref>Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Lesley Adkins and Roy A. Adkins. Oxford University Press, New York 1994.</ref><ref>As the Romans Did, Jo-Ann Shelton. Oxford University Press, New York 1998</ref><ref>Plutarch's Lives, Vol 2, John Langhorne, DD, William Langhorne, AM, London 1813.</ref>

Rome overhauled its coinage shortly before 211 BC, and introduced the ''denarius'' alongside a short-lived denomination called the ''[[victoriatus]]''. The ''denarius'' contained an average 4.5&nbsp;grams, or {{frac|1|72}} of a Roman pound, of silver, and was at first tariffed at ten ''asses'', hence its name, which means 'tenner'. It formed the backbone of Roman currency throughout the [[Roman Republic]] and the early Empire.<ref>The New Deal in Old Rome, HJ Haskell, Alfred K Knoff New York, 1939.</ref>

The ''denarius'' began to undergo slow [[debasement]] toward the end of the republican period. Under the rule of [[Augustus]] (27 BC – 14 AD) its weight fell to 3.9&nbsp;grams (a theoretical weight of {{frac|1|84}} of a Roman pound). It remained at nearly this weight until the time of [[Nero]] (AD 37–68), when it was reduced to {{frac|1|96}} of a pound, or 3.4&nbsp;grams. Debasement of the coin's silver content continued after Nero. Later Roman emperors also reduced its weight to 3&nbsp;grams around the late 3rd century.<ref>Ancient coin collection 3Wayne G Sayles. pp. 21–22.</ref>

The value at its introduction was 10 ''[[As (Roman coin)|asses]]'', giving the ''denarius'' its name, which translates as "containing ten". In about 141 BC, it was re-tariffed at 16 ''asses'', to reflect the decrease in weight of the ''[[As (Roman coin)|as]]''. The ''denarius'' continued to be the main coin of the [[Roman Empire]] until it was replaced by the [[antoninianus]] in the early 3rd century AD. The coin was last issued, in bronze, under [[Aurelian]] between 270 and 275 AD, and in the first years of the reign of [[Diocletian]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Melville-Jones |first=John R |chapter=Denarius |title=A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins |year=1990 |publisher=Seaby |isbn=1-85264-026-X }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/aurelian/t.html |title=Aurelian, Roman Imperial Coinage reference, Thumbnail Index |publisher=Wildwinds.com |access-date=24 August 2006 |archive-date=20 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520123526/http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/aurelian/t.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear/s3272.html |title=Aurelian Æ Denarius. Rome mint. IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right |publisher=Wildwinds.com |access-date=24 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612105049/http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear/s3272.html |archive-date=12 June 2006 }}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Debasement and evolution==
{| class="wikitable"
! width=50|Year !! Event !! Weight !! width=65|Purity !! Notes<ref name=Harl>{{cite book|author=Kenneth W. Harl|title=Coinage in the Roman Economy, 300 B.C. to A.D. 700|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yPDL0EykeAC&pg=PA94|date=12 July 1996|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-0-8018-5291-6|pages=94–5|access-date=9 June 2019|archive-date=4 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904145057/https://books.google.com/books?id=5yPDL0EykeAC&pg=PA94|url-status=live}}.</ref>
|-
| 267 BC || Predecessor || 6.81&nbsp;g || ? || {{frac|1|48}} pound. Equals 10 ''assēs'', giving the ''denarius'' its name, which translates as "containing ten". The original copper coinage was weight-based, and was related to the Roman pound, the ''libra'', which was about 325 g. The basic copper coin, the ''as'', was to weigh 1 Roman pound. This was a large cast coin, and subdivisions of the ''as'' were used. The "pound" (''libra'', etc.) continued to be used as a currency unit, and survives e.g. in the British monetary system, which still uses the pound, abbreviated as £.
|-
| 211 BC || Introduction || 4.55&nbsp;g || 95–98% || {{frac|1|72}} pound. ''Denarius'' first struck. According to Pliny, it was established that the ''denarius'' should be given in exchange for ten pounds of bronze, the ''quinarius'' for five pounds, and the ''sestertius'' for two-and-a-half. But when the ''as'' was reduced in weight to one ounce, the ''denarius'' became equivalent to 16 ''assēs'', the ''quinarius'' to eight, and the ''sestertius'' to four; although they retained their original names. It also appears, from Pliny and other writers, that the ancient ''libra'' was equivalent to 84 ''denarii''.

|-
| 200 BC || Debasement || 3.9&nbsp;g || 95–98% || {{frac|1|84}} pound.

|-
| 141 BC || Debasement || 3.9&nbsp;g || 95–98% || {{Frac|1|84}} pound. Retariffed to equal 16 ''assēs'' due to the decrease in weight of the ''as''.

|-
| 44 BC || Debasement || 3.9&nbsp;g || 95–98% || Death of Julius Caesar, who set the ''denarius'' at 3.9&nbsp;g. Legionary (professional soldier) pay was doubled to 225 ''denarii'' per year.
|-
|14–37 AD || || 3.9&nbsp;g || 97.5–98% || Tiberius slightly improved the fineness as he gathered his infamous hoard of 675 million ''denarii''.

|-
| 64–68 || Debasement || 3.41&nbsp;g || 93.5% || {{frac|1|96}} pound. This more closely matched the Greek ''drachma''. In 64 AD, Nero reduced the standard of the ''aureus'' to 45 to the Roman pound (7.2 g) and of the ''denarius'' to 96 to the Roman pound (3.30 g). He also lowered the ''denarius'' to 94.5% fine. Successive emperors lowered the fineness of the ''denarius''; in 180 Commodus reduced its weight by one-eighth to 108 to the pound.

|-
| 85–107 || Debasement || 3.41&nbsp;g || 93.5% || Reduction in silver content under Domitian

|-
| 148–161 ||  Debasement  || 3.41&nbsp;g || 83.5% ||

|-
| 193–235 || Debasement   || 3.41&nbsp;g || 83.5% || Several emperors (193–235) steadily debased the ''denarius'' from a standard of 78.5% to 50% fine. In 212 Caracalla reduced the weight of the ''aureus'' from 45 to 50 to the Roman pound. They also coined the ''aes'' from a bronze alloy with a heavy lead admixture, and discontinued fractional denominations below the ''as''. In 215 Caracalla introduced the ''antoninianus'' (5.1 g; 52% fine), a double ''denarius'', containing 80% of the silver of two ''denarii''. The coin invariably carried the radiate imperial portrait. Elagabalus demonetized the coin in 219, but the senatorial emperors Pupienus and Balbinus in 238 revived the ''antoninianus'' as the principal silver denomination which successive emperors reduced to a less intrinsically valuable [[billon (alloy)|billon]] coin (2.60 g; 2% fine).
|-
| 241 ||  Debasement  || 3.41&nbsp;g || 48% ||

|-
| 274 ||  Double ''Denarius'' || 3.41&nbsp;g || 5% || In 274, the emperor Aurelian reformed the currency and his denominations remained in use until the great recoinage of Diocletian in 293. Aurelian struck a radiate ''aurelianianus'' of increased weight (84 to the Roman pound) and fineness (5% fine) that was tariffed at five notational{{clarify|date=July 2018}} ''denarii'' (sometimes called "common ''denarii''" or "''denarii communes''" by modern writers, although this phrase does not appear in any ancient text). The coin carried on the reverse the numerals XXI, or in Greek κα (both meaning 21 or 20:1). Some scholars believe that this shows that the coin was equal to 20 ''sestertii''{{clarify|date=July 2018}} (or 5 ''denarii''), but it is more likely that it was intended to guarantee that it contained {{frac|1|20}} or 5% of silver, and was thus slightly better than many of the coins in circulation. The ''aureus'' (minted at 50 or 60 to the Roman pound) was exchanged at rates of 600 to 1,000 ''denarii'', equivalent to 120 to 200 ''aurelianiani''. Rare fractions of billion{{clarify|date=July 2018}} ''denarii'', and of bronze ''sestertii'' and ''assēs'', were also coined. At the same time, Aurelian reorganized the provincial mint at Alexandria, and he minted an improved Alexandrine ''tetradrachmon'' that might{{clarify|date=July 2018}} have been tariffed at par with the ''aurelianianus''.

The emperor Tacitus in 276 briefly doubled the silver content of the ''aurelianianus'' and halved its tariffing{{clarify|date=July 2018}} to 2.5 d.c. (hence{{clarify|date=July 2018}} coins of Antioch and Tripolis (in Phoenicia) carry the value marks X.I), but Probus (276–282) immediately returned the ''aurelianianus'' to the standard and tariffing{{clarify|date=July 2018}} of Aurelian, and was the official tariffing until the reform of Diocletian in 293.

|-
| 755 ||  ''Novus denarius'' (new penny) ||   ||    || [[Pepin the Short]] ({{reign|751|768}}), the first king of the Carolingian dynasty and father of [[Charlemagne]], minted the ''novus denarius'' ("new penny"): 240 pennies minted from one [[Carolingian pound]]. So a single coin contained 21 grains of silver. Around 755, Pepin's [[Carolingian Reform]] established the European monetary system, which can be expressed as: 1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pennies. Originally the pound was a weight of silver rather than a coin, and from a pound of pure silver 240 pennies were struck. The Carolingian Reform restored the silver content of the penny that was already in circulation and was the direct descendant of the Roman ''denarius''.  The shilling was equivalent to the ''solidus'', the money of account that prevailed in Europe before the Carolingian Reform; it originated from the Byzantine gold coin that was the foundation of the international monetary system for more than 500 years. Debts contracted before the Carolingian Reform were defined in ''solidi''. For three centuries following the Carolingian Reform, the only coin minted in Europe was the silver penny. Shillings and pounds were units of account used for convenience to express large numbers of pence, not actual coins. The Carolingian Reform also reduced the number of mints, strengthened royal authority over the mints, and provided for uniform design of coins. All coins bore the ruler's name, initial, or title, signifying royal sanction of the quality of the coins. Charlemagne spread the [[Carolingian system]] throughout Western Europe. The Italian ''lira'' and the French ''livre'' were derived from the Latin word for pound. Until the French Revolution, the unit of account in France was the ''livre'', which equalled 20 ''sols'' or ''sous'', each of which in turn equalled 12 ''deniers''. During the Revolution the ''franc'' replaced the ''livre'', and Napoleon's conquest spread the ''franc'' to Switzerland and Belgium. The Italian unit of account remained the ''lira'', and in Britain the pound-shilling-penny relationship survived until 1971. Even in England the pennies were eventually debased, leaving 240 pennies representing substantially less than a pound of silver, and the pound as a monetary unit became divorced from a pound weight of silver. After the breakup of the [[Carolingian Empire]] pennies debased much faster, particularly in Mediterranean Europe, and in 1172 Genoa began minting a silver coin equal to four pennies. Rome, Florence, and Venice followed with coins of denominations greater than a penny, and late in the 12th century Venice minted a silver coin equal to 24 pennies. By the mid-13th century Florence and Genoa were minting gold coins, effectively ending the reign of the silver penny (''denier'', ''denarius'') as the only circulating coin in Europe.

|-
| 785 ||  Penny ||   ||    || [[Offa]], king of Mercia, minted and introduced to England a penny of 22.5 grains of silver. The coin's designated value, however, was that of 24 troy grains of silver (one [[pennyweight]], or {{frac|1|240}} of a troy pound, or about 1.56 grams), with the difference being a premium attached by virtue of the minting into coins ([[seigniorage]]). The penny led to the term "penny weight". 240 actual pennies (22.5 grains; minus the 1.5 grain for the seigniorage) weighed only 5,400 troy grains, known as a [[Saxon pound]] and later known as the tower pound, a unit used only by mints. The tower pound was abolished in the 16th century. However, 240 pennyweights (24 grains) made one [[troy pound]] of silver in weight, and the monetary value of 240 pennies also became known as a "pound". The silver penny remained the primary unit of coinage for about 500 years.

|-
| 790 ||  Penny || 1.76 g  || 95–96%  || Charlemagne new penny with smaller diameter but greater weight. Average weight of 1.7 g, but ideal theoretical{{clarify|date=July 2018}} mass of 1.76 g. Purity is from 95% to 96%.

|-
| {{circa|1527}} ||  Penny||1.58 g||  99%  || Tower pound of 5400 grains abolished and replaced by the Troy pound of 5760 grains.

|-
| 1158 ||  Penny ||    ||  92.5%  || The purity of 92.5% silver (i.e. sterling silver) was instituted by Henry II in 1158 with the "Tealby Penny" — a hammered coin.

|-
| 1500s ||  Penny ||    ||    || By the 16th century it contained about a third the silver content of a Troy pennyweight of 24 grains.

|-
| 1915 ||  Penny ||    ||    || The penny, now struck in bronze, was worth around one-sixth of its value during the Middle Ages. British government sources suggest that there has been an 8700% price inflation since 1914, or an average of 4.2% annually.

|}

==Value, comparisons and silver content==
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header =  Marco Sergio Silo: 116–115 BC
| hbkg = #abcdef
| image = File:Sergia 1 54083.jpg
| caption_left = Helmeted head of [[Roma (mythology)|Roma]] 
| caption_right = Galloping [[Equites]] holding a sword and a barbarian's head
| width = 190
| footer = ''Denarius'': ''Sergio'' 1
| position = right
| margin = 0
| background = <!-- opzionale-->
}}

[[File:Denarius-Domitilla-RIC 0137.jpg|thumb|[[Domitilla the Elder|Flavia Domitilla]], wife of [[Vespasian]] and mother of [[Titus]] and [[Domitian]]]]

[[File:Antonia1.jpg|thumb|[[Antonia (gens)|Quintus Antonius Balbus]] ({{circa|83–82 BC}})]]

1 [[gold]] ''[[aureus]]'' = 2 gold ''[[Quinarius|quinarii]]'' = 25 [[silver]] ''denarii'' = 50 silver ''quinarii'' = 100 [[bronze]] ''[[Sestertius|sestertii]]'' = 200 bronze [[dupondius|dupondii]] = 400 [[copper]] ''[[As (Roman coin)|asses]]'' = 800 copper ''[[semis]]ses'' = 1,600 copper ''[[Quadrans|quadrantes]]''{{When|date=July 2019}}

It is difficult to give even rough comparative values for money from before the 20th century, as the range of products and services available for purchase was so different. During the republic (509 BC – 27 BC), a legionary earned 112.5 ''denarii'' per year (0.3 ''denarii'' per day). Under [[Julius Caesar]], this was doubled to 225 ''denarii''/yr, with soldiers having to pay for their own food and arms,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Adkins |first1=Lesley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC&dq=Under+Julius+Caesar%2C+legionary+pay+doubled+to+225+denarii%2Fyear%2C+with+soldiers+having+to+pay+for+their+own+food+and+arms&pg=PA79 |title=Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome |last2=Adkins |first2=Roy A. |last3=Adkins |first3=Both Professional Archaeologists Roy A. |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-7482-2 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-14 |archive-date=2023-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904145101/https://books.google.com/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC&dq=Under+Julius+Caesar%2C+legionary+pay+doubled+to+225+denarii%2Fyear%2C+with+soldiers+having+to+pay+for+their+own+food+and+arms&pg=PA79 |url-status=live }}</ref> while in the reign of Augustus a [[Centurion]] received at least 3,750 ''denarii'' per year, and for the highest rank, 15,000 ''denarii''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Adkins |first1=Lesley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC |title=Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome |last2=Adkins |first2=Roy A. |last3=Adkins |first3=Both Professional Archaeologists Roy A. |date=2014-05-14 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-7482-2 |pages=79 |language=en |access-date=2022-03-01 |archive-date=2023-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904145157/https://books.google.com/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC |url-status=live }}</ref>

By the late [[Roman Republic]] and early [[Roman Empire]] ({{circa|27 BC}}), a common soldier or unskilled laborer would be paid 1 ''denarius''/day (with no tax deductions), around 300% inflation compared to the early period. Using the cost of bread as a baseline, this pay equates to around US$20 in 2013 terms.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://dougsmith.ancients.info/worth.html |title = Buying Power of Ancient Coins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210071801/http://dougsmith.ancients.info/worth.html |archive-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Expressed in terms of the price of silver, and assuming 0.999 purity, a {{frac|1|10}} [[troy ounce]] ''denarius'' had a precious metal value of around US$2.60 in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=XE: Convert XAG/USD. Silver to United States Dollar|url=https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=XAG&To=USD|access-date=2021-01-28|website=xe.com|archive-date=2023-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904145104/https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=XAG&To=USD|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the height of the [[Roman Empire]] a ''[[Ancient Roman units of measurement|sextarius]]'' (546 ml or about 2{{frac|1|4}} American cups) of ordinary wine cost roughly one ''[[dupondius]]'' ({{frac|8}} of a ''denarius''); after Diocletian's [[Edict on Maximum Prices]] was issued in 301 AD, the same item cost 8 debased common ''denarii'' – 6300% inflation.

Silver content plummeted across the lifespan of the ''denarius''. Under the Roman Empire (after [[Nero]]) the ''denarius'' contained approximately 50 [[grain (measure)|grains]], 3.24 grams, or 0.105 ozt (about {{frac|1|10}} [[troy ounce]]). The fineness of the silver content varied with political and economic circumstances. From a purity of greater than 90% silver in the 1st century AD, the ''denarius'' fell to under 60% purity by 200 AD, and plummeted to 5% purity by 300 AD.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tulane.edu/~august/handouts/601cprin.htm |title=Roman Currency of the Principate |access-date=2015-12-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128174101/http://www.tulane.edu/~august/handouts/601cprin.htm |archive-date=2015-11-28 }}</ref> By the reign of [[Gallienus]], the ''antoninianus'' was a copper coin with a thin silver wash.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Katsari|first=Constantina|title=The Concept of Inflation in the Roman Empire|journal=Economic History|year=2002|url=https://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwpeh/0204001.html|access-date=2006-12-06|archive-date=2018-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710164700/https://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwpeh/0204001.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Influence==<!-- This section is linked from [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]] -->
In the final years of the 1st century BC [[Tincomarus]], a local ruler in southern Britain, started issuing coins that appear to have been made from melted down ''denarii''.<ref name=jersey29>{{cite book |last=De Jersey |first=Philip |date=1996 |title=Celtic Coinage in Britain |publisher=Shire Publications |pages=29–30 |isbn=0-7478-0325-0}}</ref> The coins of [[Eppillus]], issued around [[Calleva Atrebatum]] around the same time, appear to have derived design elements from various ''denarii'', such as those of [[Augustus]] and [[M. Volteius]].<ref name=Beanmeth341>{{cite thesis |last=Bean|first=Simon C|date=1994 |title=The coinage of Atrebates and Regni |type=Ph.D. |chapter=The coinage of Eppilus |pages=341–347|publisher=University of Nottingham |chapter-url=http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11944/1/262143.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910214929/http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11944/1/262143.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-10 |url-status=live |access-date=14 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="jersey29"/>

Even after the ''denarius'' was no longer regularly issued, it continued to be used as a unit of account, and the name was applied to later Roman coins in a way that is not understood. The [[Arab]]s who [[Early Muslim conquests|conquered large parts]] of the land that once belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire issued their own [[gold dinar]]. The lasting legacy of the ''denarius'' can be seen in the use of "d" as the abbreviation for the British [[penny]] until 1971.<ref>English Coinage 600–1900 by C.H.V. Sutherland 1973 {{ISBN|0-7134-0731-X}} p.10</ref> It also survived in [[France]] as the name of a coin, the [[French denier|denier]]. The ''denarius'' also survives in the common Arabic name for a currency unit, the ''[[dinar]]'' used from pre-Islamic times, and still used in several modern Arab nations. The major currency unit in former [[Principality of Serbia]], [[Kingdom of Serbia]] and former [[Yugoslavia]] was ''[[dinar]]'', and it is still used in present-day [[Serbia]]. The [[North Macedonia|Macedonian]] currency ''[[Macedonian denar|denar]]'' is also derived from the Roman ''denarius''. The [[Italian language|Italian]] word ''denaro'', the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word ''dinero'', the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word ''dinheiro'', and the [[Slovene language|Slovene]] word ''{{lang|sl|denar}}'', all meaning money, are also derived from Latin ''denarius''. The pre-decimal currency of the United Kingdom until 1970 of pounds, shillings and pence was abbreviated as [[£sd]], with "d" referring to ''denarius'' and standing for penny.

==Use in the Bible==
In the [[New Testament]], the gospels refer to the ''denarius'' as a day's wage for a common laborer ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 20:2,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A2&version=NIV |title=Matthew 20:2 NIV – He agreed to pay them a denarius |publisher=Bible Gateway |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-date=2013-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004212932/http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A2&version=NIV |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gospel of John|John]]  12:5).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jn%2012:5;&version=31 |title=Jn 12:5; NIV – "Why wasn't this perfume sold ... |publisher=Bible Gateway |access-date=2013-10-02 |archive-date=2023-09-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904145051/https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jn%2012:5;&version=NIV |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[Book of Revelation]], during the Third Seal: Black Horse, a [[Ancient Greek units of measurement#Volume|choinix]] ("quart") of wheat and three quarts of barley were each valued at one ''denarius''.<ref>Revelation 6:6</ref> Bible scholar [[Robert H. Mounce]] says the price of the wheat and barley as described in the vision appears to be ten to twelve times their normal cost in ancient times.<ref>The New International Commentary on the New Testament, "The Book of Revelation", p.&nbsp;155)</ref> Revelation thus describes a condition where basic goods are sold at greatly inflated prices. Thus, the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse|black horse rider]] depicts times of deep scarcity or famine, but not of starvation. Apparently, a choinix of wheat was the daily ration of one adult. Thus, in the conditions pictured by [[Revelation 6]], the normal income for a working-class family would buy enough food for only one person. The less costly barley would feed three people for one day's wages.

The ''denarius'' is also mentioned in the [[Parable of the Unforgiving Servant]] & in [[Parable of the Good Samaritan]] ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 10:25–37). The [[Render unto Caesar]] passage in Matthew 22:15–22 and Mark 12:13–17 uses the word (δηνάριον) to describe the coin held up by Jesus, translated in the King James Bible as "[[tribute penny]]". It is commonly thought to be a ''denarius'' with the head of Tiberius.

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Money|Numismatics|History}}
* [[Denarius of L. Censorinus]] – for the detailed description of a specific Roman ''denarius''
* [[Dupondius]]
* [[French denier]]
* [[Gold Dinar]]
* [[Ides of March Coin]]
* [[Macedonian denar]]
* [[Sestertius]]
* [[Solidus (coin)]]
* [[Tribute penny]]
* [[Pay (Roman army)]]

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Denarius.html Denarius]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060904162907/http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~ekondrat/Octavian3.html From Octavian to Augustus: Images Illustrating His Rise to Power] (archived)
*[http://coins.about.com/od/coinsglossary/g/denarius_define.htm Denarius – A Roman soldier's daily pay]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930152912/http://coins.about.com/od/coinsglossary/g/denarius_define.htm |date=2011-09-30 }}.
*{{cite journal|last1=Wood|first1=JR|last2=Ponting|first2=M|last3=Butcher|first3=K|title=Mints not Mines: a macroscale investigation of Roman silver coinage|journal=Internet Archaeology|date=2023|issue=61|doi=10.11141/ia.61.10|doi-access=free|url=http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue61/10/}}
{{Roman coinage}}
{{dinar}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Coins of ancient Rome]]
[[Category:Coins in the Bible]]
[[Category:New Testament Latin words and phrases]]
[[Category:Silver coins]]
[[Category:211 BC]]
[[Category:Dinar]]