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In the Roman currency system, the denarius ( ; plural: denarii ) was a small silver coin first minted about 211 BC during the Second Punic War. It became the most common coin produced for circulation but was slowly debased in weight and silver content until its replacement by the double denarius, called the antoninianus, early in the 3rd century AD. The word ''denarius'' is derived from the Latin ''dēnī'' "containing ten", as its value was 10 asses, although in the middle of the 2nd century BC it was recalibrated so that it was now worth sixteen asses or four sestertii. It is the origin of several modern words such as the currency name dinar; it is also the origin for the common noun for money in Italian ''denaro'', in Portuguese ''dinheiro'' and in Spanish ''dinero''. Its symbol is (unicode:𐆖). ==History== A predecessor of the denarius was first struck in 267 BC, five years before the first Punic War〔A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, William Smith, D.C.l., LL, D., John Murray, London 1875 Pg 393, 394〕 with an average weight of 6.81 grams, or of a Roman pound. Contact with the Greeks prompted a need for silver coinage in addition to the bronze currency that the Romans were using during that time. The predecessor of the denarius was a Greek-styled silver coin, very similar to the didrachm and drachma struck in Metapontion and other Greek cities in southern Italy. These coins were inscribed for Rome but closely resemble their Greek counterparts. They were most likely used for trade purposes and were seldom used in Rome. The first distinctively Roman silver coin appeared around 226 BC.〔The Numismatic Circular, Volume 8-9, Spink & Son, 1899-1900 Piccadilly West, London〕 Classic historians sometimes called these coins denarii in the past, but they are classified by modern numismatists as ''quadrigati'', which is derived from the quadriga, or four-horse chariot, on the reverse, and which with a two-horse chariot or biga was the prototype for the most common designs used on Roman silver coins for the next 150 years.〔Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Lesley Adkins and Roy A. Adkins. Oxford University Press, New York 1994.〕〔As the Romans Did, Jo-Ann Shelton. Oxford University Press, New York 1998〕〔Plutarch's Lives, Vol 2, John Langhorne, DD, William Langhorne, AM, London 1813〕 Rome overhauled its coinage around 211 BC and introduced the denarius alongside a short-lived denomination called the victoriatus. This denarius contained an average 4.5 grams, or of a Roman pound of silver. It formed the backbone of Roman currency throughout the Roman republic.〔The New Deal in Old Rome, HJ Haskell, Alfred K Knoff New York 1939〕 The denarius began to undergo slow debasement toward the end of the republican period. Under the rule of Augustus, (63 BC-AD 14) its silver content fell to 3.9 grams (a theoretical weight of of a Roman pound). It remained at nearly this weight until the time of Nero (AD 37-68), when it was reduced to of a pound, or 3.4 grams. Debasement of the coin's silver content continued after Nero. Later Roman emperors reduced its content to 3 grams around the late third century.〔Ancient coin collection 3Wayne G Sayles Pg 21-22〕 The value at its introduction was 10 asses, giving the denarius its name, which translates as "containing ten". In about 141 BC, it was re-tariffed at 16 asses, to reflect the decrease in weight of the as. The denarius continued to be the main coin of the Roman Empire until it was replaced by the antoninianus in the middle of the third century. The last issuance of this coin occurred in bronze form by Aurelian, between AD 270 and 275, and in the first years of the reign of Diocletian. For more details, see 'Denarius', in ''A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins'', by John R. Melville-Jones (1990).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Aurelian, Roman Imperial Coinage reference, Thumbnail Index )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Aurelian Æ Denarius. Rome mint. IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right )〕 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「denarius」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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