Iraqi Al Yahud
09-02-2004, 06:47 PM
The denarius was first struck in 211 BC during the Roman Republic, valued at 10 asses, giving the denarius its name which translates to "containing ten". In 118 BC it was re-tariffed at 16 asses, to reflect the decrease in size of the as. The denarius continued to be the main coin of the empire until it was replaced by the antoninianus in the middle of the 3rd century AD. The fineness of the silver content varied with political and economic circumstances.
Even after the denarius was no longer regularly issued, it continued to be used as an accounting device and the name was applied to later Roman coins in a way that is not understood. The lasting legacy of the denarius can be seen in the use of "d" as the abbreviation for the old French denier and the British penny prior to 1971. The denarius also survives in the common Arabic name for a currency unit, the dinar دينار, used from pre-Islamic times, and still used in several modern Arabic-speaking nations
Even after the denarius was no longer regularly issued, it continued to be used as an accounting device and the name was applied to later Roman coins in a way that is not understood. The lasting legacy of the denarius can be seen in the use of "d" as the abbreviation for the old French denier and the British penny prior to 1971. The denarius also survives in the common Arabic name for a currency unit, the dinar دينار, used from pre-Islamic times, and still used in several modern Arabic-speaking nations