in 64 AD, the Romans continuously debased their silver coins until, by the end of the 3rd century AD, hardly any silver was left. A predecessor of the
denarius was first struck in 269 or 268 BC, five years before the
First Punic War, with an average weight of 6.81
grams, or of a
Roman pound. Contact with the Greeks had prompted a need for silver coinage in addition to the bronze currency that the Romans were using at that time. This predecessor of the
denarius was a Greek-styled silver coin of
didrachm weight, which was struck in
Neapolis and other Greek cities in southern Italy. These coins were inscribed with a legend that indicated that they were struck for Rome, but in style they closely resembled their Greek counterparts. They were rarely seen at Rome, to judge from finds and hoards, and were probably used either to buy supplies or to pay soldiers. The first distinctively Roman silver coin appeared around 226 BC. Classical historians have sometimes called these coins "heavy
denarii", but they are classified by modern numismatists as
quadrigati, a term which survives in one or two ancient texts and is derived from the
quadriga, or four-horse chariot, on the reverse. This, with a two-horse chariot or
biga which was used as a reverse type for some early
denarii, was the prototype for the most common designs used on Roman silver coins for a number of years. Rome overhauled its coinage shortly before 211 BC, and introduced the
denarius alongside a short-lived denomination called the
victoriatus. The
denarius contained an average 4.5 grams, or of a Roman pound, of silver, and was at first tariffed at ten
asses, hence its name, which means 'tenner'. It formed the backbone of Roman currency throughout the
Roman Republic and the early Empire. The
denarius began to undergo slow
debasement toward the end of the republican period. Under the rule of
Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD) its weight 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 also reduced its weight to 3 grams around the late 3rd century. 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 early 3rd century AD. The coin was last issued, in bronze, under
Aurelian between 270 and 275 AD, and in the first years of the reign of
Diocletian. ==Debasement and evolution==