Were there established "denominations" for coins of different metals in ancient times?

Upvote:1

Yes, denominational coinage, by definition, has a set relationship between the units and that relationship will not be exactly the same as the relative value of the metals involved. For example, the Roman denarius was originally denominated to be worth 10 asses. That's why it is called a "denarius" which means thing of ten.

This does normally cause a problem because the value of a coin is usually above its metal value because there is a value in the standardization and the authority of the issuer.

If, however, this seigniorage value is insufficient, then people will start melting the coins down, so in that case either the denominations need to be changed or the coinage needs to be debased (or upgraded). So, for example, the denarius was re-denominated to be worth 16 asses in 211 BC.

Tyler Durden 37736

📝 Was "Street" more common than the abbreviated "St." in pre-1910 American newspapers?
📝 Were some categories of French-Jewish people treated better by Vichy anti-Jewish laws
📝 How were the West Berlin air corridors negotiated?
📝 What are the occurences of total war in the Native Americans?
📝 Where can I find video of Pierre Elliott Trudeau's concession in 1979?
📝 Did the polytheist Greeks or Romans call their priests “father”?
📝 What was the wealth distribution in US antebellum North / South
📝 When and why did smiling at strangers and in photos become customary in the United States?
📝 How accurately could ancient astronomers find latitude and longitude?
📝 What was at the start of Early Roman codices?
📝 What was the Janissaries' Strength?
📝 What is the most advanced nonliterate society?
📝 Were any signers of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, or Constitution of the United States Black (also called Negro)?
📝 Was the Social War the only war fought to integrate into an empire?
📝 At the end of the Seven Years War, what was the total amount of gold and silver in Britain?
📝 Punishment for deserting lictors
📝 Why did modern "Romania" remain the most "Roman" part of the Balkans?
📝 Did temples in ancient Greece contain treasure?
📝 What was wrong with carrying a bag on one's back in a town in the USA in the first decades of the 1900?
📝 Context of sign telling Japanese people to "keep moving"
📝 How widespread was pacifism in the WW2 USA?
📝 Did a unit of 40 men hold off Rommel's "ghost division" for 18 days?
📝 What is the oldest regulation in the world regarding a head of state?
📝 Did people in China resort to cannibalism during the reign of Mao?
📝 Did the Americans trade destroyers in the "destroyer deal" that they would later need themselves?
📝 Which Imperial Russian officials created and verified passports?
📝 What was the typical peasant's diet like in Europe during the High Middle Ages?
📝 Were "hitmen" a real historical occupation?
📝 Were bookshops 'common' in the late 19th century, and how did they differ from modern ones?
📝 Why was the BEF so ill-prepared for WW1?

Source: stackoverflow.com

Travel Tips

Search Posts

📝 Were there established "denominations" for coins of different metals in ancient times?
📝 Why were there no internment camps for German-American citizens in USA during WW2?
📝 Are there any documented examples of wooden ships which were in active service for 100 years or more? If not, what is the longest?
📝 What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
📝 Were there punishments in the Roman Empire for not believing in the official religion?
📝 Were there reasons for Japan to go to war with the US aside from the US owning Philippines?
📝 Were there concrete plans, 40-41, for Japan to attack Singapore/Indonesia, while avoiding a fight with the US?
📝 Were there any well known royal dynasties that did not in some way cite religious mandate for their rule?
📝 Were there any other systems which resemble the complex election procedure for the doge of Venice
📝 Were sailing ships of the line understaffed with gunnery crews so that there were not enough for 2 broadsides?
📝 In Scandinavia, was there a cultural continuity from Goths to Vikings or were they two different groups of people?
📝 What Land Runs were there in the U.S., and were the Indians paid for their land?
📝 Were there mercenaries around for WWI?
📝 Were there rules about the number of retainers for the Achaemenid Empire?
📝 Were there any abolitionists imprisoned for being critical of the Congress or the President during the American Civil War?
📝 Were there any developed countries that became "undeveloped" for reasons other than war?
📝 Are there any reasonable sources of data on numbers of religious adherents, for different religions, throughout history?
📝 Have there been government conspiracies that were successful for over 25 years?
📝 Were there socioeconomic reasons for the decline of Athenian democracy?
📝 How many ministerial deferments were there during WWII for the United States?
📝 Is there an established metric in historiography for what constitutes a “modernized” country?
📝 Is there a reconstruction for whom and when were the peoples of the ancient Levant just before Israel, Judea and Edom?
📝 Were there any rewards for going on a crusade aside from being forgiven for one's biblical sins?
📝 What incentives were there for Soviet and Chinese politicians to try climb to the top when there was so much history of deposing their own?
📝 What activities for children were there in Paris in the 1930s (that were not also available in the countryside)?
📝 Is there any resource for showing world territories at different years?
📝 Were there any tests or prerequisites for Blacks and Indians to be admitted to the University of Cape Town during Apartheid?
📝 Were there women who were against giving women the right to vote?
📝 What were paper airplanes called before there were real airplanes? (i.e. untethered winged flyers, not kites or balloons)
📝 What were the reasons for the Renaissance / scientific revolution in Europe?

Were there established "denominations" for coins of different metals in ancient times?

More post

Search Posts

Related post