1 janv. 23 av. J.-C. - Coinage Reform of Augustus

Description:

Augustus brought the minting of gold and silver coins, the aureus and denarius, under his personal control without changing their weight or fineness. The gold aureus, weighing about one-quarter ounce, was worth twenty-five silver denarii, weighing about one-seventh of an ounce.

Augustus more comprehensively reformed denominations below the denarius. New ratios were fixed among the currencies: the sestertius was now minted from about an ounce of orichalcum, an alloy of copper and zinc, rather than silver, and fixed at a quarter of a denarius. The dupondius, formerly a two-pound bronze coin, was now orichalcum, valued at half a sestertius and weighing half as much. The half-ounce as, worth half a dupondius, the semis, worth half an as, and the quadrans, worth half a semis, were the first pure copper coins minted in Rome since 84 BC.