Victoriatus
As Victoriatus refers to an ancient Roman coin , of approximately v 210th Chr. Up to V 100. Chr. In Roman Empire was issued and Avers God Jupiter was wearing and the lapel a Victoria , shows a Tropaeum crowned shows.
The name of the coin is derived from Victoria, the goddess of victory, who can be found on every lapel of this type and who usually stands in front of a standard that was armed with the weapons of the defeated enemies. It means "coming from victory" or "destined to win".
The coin was minted shortly before the first denarii . Its value corresponded to 3/4 of a denarius (= 7 1/2 old aces) - measured by the silver content of the early denarii. The coin was mostly issued outside of Rome; it probably circulated mostly in the more remote areas of Lazio . In Illyria the victoriatus was valued as a trade coin. Its silver content corresponded to that of half the Greek double drachma that still circulated in southern Italy and Sicily. It is believed that it should thus represent an equivalent to the simple drachma, which was important for the pay of Roman-Greek hired troops. The V. was allegedly given out in the field by the commanders to the troops, which would also suggest its symbolism in the lapel. The V had never had a denomination of value like X, V or IIS, as was usual with the early Roman denarii, quinaries and sesterces, so it was probably not intended for the Roman internal circulation.
The victoriatus was later pushed back by the denarius and soon disappeared from everyday life. Around 100 BC BC the Quinarius nummus replaced the Victoriatus, which only existed for some time in the Thessalian League .
literature
- Tyll Kroha : Large encyclopedia of numismatics. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh 1997, ISBN 3-577-10554-2
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Michael H. Crawford: Roman Republican Coinage, Cambridge, 1974, no 71 / 1a