Denarius

A Roman silver coin, probably first struck in the late 3rd century BC. A wide range of designs were shown and under the republic they often bore an image of the moneyer's ? Ancestor.

A denarius (plural denarii) is an ancient Roman coin made of silver. Like most countries, ancient Roman coins represented a portion of a larger denomination. The smallest denomination issued at the time was the as (plural asses). A denarius functioned similarly to the United States penny in today's commerce. It was originally equal to 10 asses, hence its name means "containing ten", although its value and silver content decreased through the centuries of Rome's existence. At first, a denarius contained an average of 4.5 grams or 1/72 of a Roman pound of silver. By the end of its useful lifetime, the Roman emperor reduced its content to an average of 3 grams. The denarius was struck from approximately 211BC during the Second Punic War to 244AD.