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Coin (obverse), Denarius, of Vespasian

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minted in Rome

Coin (obverse), Denarius, of Vespasian
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This silver coin was minted in Rome by the emperor Vespasian in 74 AD. It is a type called a denarius, the most common Roman silver coin. This picture shows the obverse of the coin.

The obverse depicts the head of Vespasian wearing a laurel wreath. The inscription 'IMP CAES VESPASIANVS AVG' around him is an abbreviation of the emperor's name and some of his titles.

Silver denarii of the Roman empire generally have a portrait of the emperor or his family on the obverse. This well-preserved coin shows the high quality of portraiture - one can picture what the emperor looked liked. The Roman currency system included the denarius (plural: denarii), a small silver coin, as the most common coin in circulation. Classical historians regularly say that in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire the daily wage for a laborer was one denarius. 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 As was a bronze or copper coin. 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.

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