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The ''aureus'' (pl. ''aurei'' — "golden") was a gold coin of ancient Rome valued at 25 silver ''denarii''. The ''aureus'' was regularly issued from the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 4th century AD, when it was replaced by the ''solidus''. The ''aureus'' was about the same size as the ''denarius'', but heavier due to the higher density of gold (as opposed to that of silver.) Before the time of Julius Caesar the ''aureus'' was struck very infrequently, usually to make large payments from captured booty. Caesar struck the coin more frequently and standardized the weight at of a Roman pound (about 8 grams). Augustus (r. 29 BC – 9 AD) tariffed the value of the ''sestertius'' as of an ''aureus''. The mass of the ''aureus'' was decreased to of a pound (7.3 g) during the reign of Nero (r. 54–68). After the reign of Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180) the production of ''aurei'' decreased, and the weight was further decreased to of a pound (6.5 g) by the time of Caracalla (r. 211–217). During the 3rd century, gold pieces were introduced in a variety of fractions and multiples, making it hard to determine the intended denomination of a gold coin. The ''solidus'' was first introduced by Diocletian (r. 284–305) around 301 AD, struck at 60 to the Roman pound of pure gold (and thus weighing about 5.5 g each) and with an initial value equal to 1,000 ''denarii''. However, Diocletian's solidus was struck only in small quantities, and thus had only minimal economic effect. The solidus was reintroduced by Constantine I (r. 306–337) in 312 AD, permanently replacing the ''aureus'' as the gold coin of the Roman Empire. The ''solidus'' was struck at a rate of 72 to a Roman pound of pure gold, each coin weighing twenty-four Greco-Roman carats, or about 4.5 grams of gold per coin. By this time, the solidus was worth 275,000 of the increasingly debased ''denarii''. However, regardless of the ''size'' or ''weight'' of the ''aureus'', the coin's purity was little affected. Analysis of the Roman ''aureus'' shows the purity level usually to have been near to 24 carat gold in excess of 99%. Due to runaway inflation caused by the Roman government issuing base-metal coinage but refusing to accept anything other than silver or gold for tax payments, the value of the gold ''aureus'' in relation to the ''denarius'' grew drastically. Inflation was also affected by the systematic debasement of the silver ''denarius'', which by the mid-3rd century had practically no silver left in it. In 301, one gold ''aureus'' was worth 833⅓ denarii; by 324, the same ''aureus'' was worth 4,350 ''denarii''. In 337, after Constantine converted to the ''solidus'', one solidus was worth 275,000 ''denarii'' and finally, by 356, one solidus was worth 4,600,000 ''denarii''. Today, the ''aureus'' is highly sought after by collectors because of its purity and value, as well its historical interest. An ''aureus'' is usually much more expensive than a ''denarius'' issued by the same emperor. For instance, in one auction, an ''aureus'' of Trajan (r. 98–117) sold for $15,000, and a silver coin of the same emperor sold for $100. Two of the most expensive ''aurei'' were sold in the same auction in 2008. One ''aureus'', issued in 42 BC by Marcus Junius Brutus, the assassin of Gaius Julius Caesar, had a price realized of $661,250. (There is an example of this coin on permanent display at the British Museum in London.) The second ''aureus'', issued by the emperor Alexander Severus (r. 222–235), has a picture of the Colosseum on the reverse, and had a price realized of $920,000. ==See also== *Guilder *Polish złoty 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「aureus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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