Roman Empire
Mediterranean Empire (27 BC-395 AD)
Location: Southern and Western Europe, Middle East, North Africa
Capital City: Rome (27 BC-330 AD), Constantinople (330-395)
Government type: Absolute Monarchy
Main languages: Latin, Greek, Punic, Coptic, Aramaic, Gaulish, Brittonic, Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Gothic
Main religions: Greco-Roman Polytheism, Celtic Polytheism, Germanic Polytheism, Judaism, Arab Polytheism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Egyptian Polytheism, Mesopotamian Polytheism, Phoenician Polytheism, Berber Polytheism
Chronology
27 BC: Octavian is granted the titles Augustus and Princeps by the Roman Senate, considered the end of the Roman Republic and start of the Empire
69: Year of Four Emperors, conflict after Nero's death resulting in the rise of the Flavian dynasty
117: Greatest territorial extent of the Empire under Emperor Trajan
193: Year of Five Emperors, conflict after Commodus' death resulting in the rise of the Severan dynasty
235-284: Crisis of the Third Century
238: Year of Six Emperors, conflict after Alexander Severus' death resulting in Gordian III's reign and the empire's destabilization
260-274: Gallic Empire breaks off from Rome under Postumus
269-272: Palmyrene Empire breaks off from Rome under Zenobia
286-296: Britannic Empire breaks off from Rome under Carausius
293-313:Tetrarchy, Rome ruled by four emperors simultaneously
324: Constantine's deafeat of Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis ends the last remains of the tetrarchy system
380: Emperor Theodosius makes Christianity the official religion of the empire
395: Roman Empire split into Eastern and Western Empires after Theodosius dies
Currency
Third Denarius (27 BC-215)
1 Denarius = 2 Silver Quinarii = 4 Sestertii = 8 Dupondii = 16 Asses = 32 Semisses = 64 Quadrantes • 1 Aureus = 2 Gold Quinarii = 25 Denarii
Antoninianus (215-301)
1 Antoninianus = 2 Denarii = 4 Silver Quinarii = 8 Sestertii = 16 Dupondii = 32 Asses • 1 Aureus = 2 Gold Quinarii = 25 Denarii
Argenteus (301-324)
1 Argenteus = 4 Nummi = 20 Radiati = 50 Laureati = 100 Denarii • 1 Solidus = 10 Argentei
Solidus (324-395)
1 Solidus = 2 Semisses = 3 Tremisses = 12 Miliarenses = 24 Siliquae = 180 Folles/Nummi/Maiorinae
Coins from the Roman Empire in the collection
•1 Denarius, 103-111 (Emperor Trajan (98-117), silver, Rome mint, RIC II#128)
•1 Denarius, 196-197 (Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211), silver, Rome mint, RIC IV.1#87)
•1 Sestertius, 235-236 (Emperor Maximinus Thrax (235-238), bronze, Rome mint, RIC IV.2#64)
•1 Denarius, 221 (Emperor Elagabalus (218-222), silver, Rome mint, RIC IV.2#42a)
•1 Denarius, 228 (Emperor Severus Alexander (222-235), silver, Rome mint, RIC IV.2#73)
•1 Denarius, 244-247 (Emperor Philip (244-249), silver, Rome mint, RIC IV.3#27B)
•1 Antoninianus, 244-247 (Emperor Gallienus (253-268), silver, Rome mint, RIC V.1#160f)
•1 Antoninianus, Emperor Claudius Gothicus (268-270) (silver, Rome mint, RIC V.1#54)
•1 Antoninianus, Emperor Aurelian (270-275) (silver, Siscia mint, RIC V.1#248)
•1 Antoninianus, Emperor Probus (276-282) (silver, Antioch mint, RIC V.2#921)
•1 Nummus, 294 (Emperor Galerius (293-311), bronze, Siscia mint, RIC VI#81b)
•1 Follis, 315-316 (Emperor Licinius (308-324), bronze, Antioch mint, RIC VII#17)
•1 Follis, 327-328 (Emperor Constantine I (306-337), bronze, Alexandria mint, RIC VII#47) Constantius II as Caesar
•1 Follis, 336-337 (Emperor Constantine I (306-337), bronze, Nicomedia mint, RIC VII#201) Constantius II as Caesar
•1 Follis, 336-337 (Emperor Constantine I (306-337), bronze, Thessaloniki mint, RIC VII#227) Delmatius as Caesar
•1 Follis, Emperor Constantine II (337-340) (bronze, Arleatum mint, RIC VIII#41) Constantine I posthumous
•1 Follis, 348-350 (Emperor Constantius II (337-361), bronze, Siscia mint, RIC VIII#253)
•1 Follis, 347-348 (Emperor Constans I (337-350), bronze, Siscia mint, RIC VIII#183)
•1 Follis, Emperor Jovian (363-364) (bronze, Heraclea Sintica mint, RIC VIII#108)
•1 Follis, 364-367 (Emperor Valens (364-378), bronze, Antioch mint, RIC IX#10B)
•1 Follis, 367-375 (Emperor Valentinian I (364-375), bronze, Lugdunum mint, RIC IX#20a
•1 Nummus, 379-383 (Emperor Gratian (375-383), bronze, Thessaloniki mint, RIC IX#37a)
Note: The title "Caesar", derived from Julius Caesar's name, was used to denote a "junior emperor", often the officially designated heir of a reigning emperor. Caesars didn't reign themselves, but coins depicting them were still often made as early as 70 AD, when Titus was named Caesar by emperor Vespasian. Some Caesars, such as Delmatius, one of Constantine I's five designated heirs, never reigned themselves as a result of dying or having the title revoked. An exception to how it usually worked was during the Tetrarchy, where the two designated Caesars did exercise authority, but in a subordinate role to the two senior emperors, styled as Augustus. As such, in the listing here, even though the coin of Delmatius doesn't show or name Constantine I, it's still counted as a coin of Constantine as he was the actual ruler, not Delmatius, and conversely, the coin of Galerius, though issued while Galerius was subordinate Caesar to Diocletian, is counted for Galerius, as under the tetrarchy, Galerius was still an emperor (otherwise it wouldn't be a tetrarchy but more of a diarchy.)
Provincial Coin issues
•AE26 (copper, uncertain value), 114-117 (Emperor Trajan (98-117), copper, Chalcis ad Belum mint, BMC#3)
•1 Sestertius, 241-244 (Emperor Gordian III (238-244), bronze, Berytus mint, Rouvier#599)
Note: Most Roman provincial issues from the East, where most of the provincial issues were made, didn't use the Roman system of coinage, but stuck with the traditional Greek system in use since the Hellenistic era. As such, provincial coins from places like Anatolia, Syria, or Egypt usually didn't have units like Denarii or Sestertii, but were Drachms, with 6 Obols, 24 Tetartemorion, or 48 Chalkon to the Drachm. Coins on the Roman standard were still made, just less often, and were usually valued against the Hellenistic standard by weight.