Roman coin activity - Essay Example

The Roman Coin Activity The Roman Coin Activity It is of critical significance to that there are several types of roman coins. The variety in number and types of these coins depend on several factors. One of the factors that bring the difference in the types of the Roman coins is the period in which those coins were dominant. Some of these coins are very old. Such were mostly used in the olden days. In addition, the difference in types of the coins also depends on the nature of the element in which they are made of.

It is of crucial significance to note that majority of the Roman coins were made of bronze. However, other coins used by the Romans are made of silver as well as other elements. This is responsible for the great variations seen in majority of the Roman coins. Moreover, the difference in types of the Roman coins is a factor of the emperor who was in reign during those periods. Every emperor had certain features within the Roman coin that distinguished him from the rest of other emperors. Examples of such Roman emperors who reigned and had different coins include the Emperor Julius Caesar, Emperor Alexander the Great and Emperor Augustus Denarius.

In the Roman coin chosen, the emperor at the back is called Emperor Julius Caesar. This emperor reigned for several years. He was a dictator. He reigned from October 49 BC to March 44 BC1. During his reign, several political changes were experienced in Rome. He was a very influential man who could bring political saturations with relative ease, effected by the dictatorial leadership that characterized his reign. It is of critical significance to note that Emperor Julius Caesar contributed a lot towards ensuring that Rome abolished the issue of The Roman Republic and adopt the Roman Empire.

This was one of the things that Emperor Julius Caesar did during his reign. In addition, Emperor Julius Caesar was known for his political strength during the period of his reign. For instance, the emperor conquered several states as well as regions during his reign. One of the regions conquered by the emperor is the region of Gaul whose conquest was accomplished in the 51 BC. In addition, the Emperor also invaded Britain and conquered some parts of the region. This led to expansion of the empire of Rome during those periods when Emperor Julius Caesar was in reign.

Moreover, the emperor initiated the creation of the Julian calendar2. However, during those periods, several civil and political conflicts were happening in the Roman Empire. This led to a state of political unrest that later on led to several incidences of assassinations in which Julius Caesar fell a victim. On the reverse of the coin is a picture of a soldier. This is a symbol of political strength. In addition, the picture of the soldier symbolizes uttermost authority within the regime. This was a characteristic depicted in the character of Emperor Julius Caesar. a) Obverse b) Reverse 3Some of the attributes used in the identification of this coin include the abbreviation AVG.

AVG is the abbreviation of name that was given to the first Roman Emperor (Octavian) in the year 27 BC4. CAESAR on the coin means the family name referring to the first imperial dynasty of the Roman Empire, specifically, the Caesar family and the abbreviation “IMP” stands for the Emperor. The abbreviations COS and CENS stands for the consuls and censor respectively. BibliographyAllason-Jones, Lindsay. 2011. Artefacts in Roman Britain: their purpose and use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Canfora, Luciano. 2007. Julius Caesar: the life and times of the peoples dictator. Berkeley: University of California Press.Reece, Richard, and Simon Jantes. 2000. Identifying roman coins: a practical guide to the identification of site finds in Britain. London: Spink.