Denarius

The Denarius (plural denarii) was first minted circa 211 BC. It was the standard silver coin of the Roman Republic and Empire until the reforms of Caracalla in 215 AD, after which they would be phased out with the last silver denarius being issued by Philip I. During the Roman Republic, the denarius usually featured the head of Roma on the obverse and the Dioscuori on the reverse, but during the later Republic, the types often time represented historical events and other events significant to the individual moneyers family. Julius Caesar was the first to put his own image on the denarius, a watershed event in the history of Roman coinage, that led to his eventual assassination. This became tradition with subsequent imperators and emperors. Initially, the denarius was struck at around 98% silver and weighed around 3.8 grams. Over the years the fineness and weight were both reduced, eventually being less than 50% silver. The denarius is the most common denomination to survive from antiquity and is a favorite wi