Gaius Julius Caesar was a great personality who rose from lower shadow levels to become the leading figure in the late Roman republic. He was a wise general and a brilliant politician. He was the one to become the dictator of the Roman republic bringing down all his rivals.

Julius Caesar gained his merit later in life. For many years Caesar was the protégé of Crassus, a powerful and wealthy figure of that time. Julius was able to take advantage on the rivalry of Crassus with Pompey, who was as powerful as Crassus. In 60 BC, Julius, Crassus and Pompey, made the first Triumvirate, a pact according to which each of the three men divided effectively the rule.

Gold Coin (AV = 60 As)

The coin was struck from 240 and 229 BC. Its obverse[¹⁰⁸⁴] features the head of Mars wearing Corinthian helmet and chlamys, X is found behind. The reverse[¹¹³⁹] includes the image of an eagle standing on thunderbolt with its wings spread and below there's an inscription stating ROMA.

Detailed information about the coin:

The obverse side of this ancient Roman gold coin illustrates Mars wearing a crested Corinthian helmet along with a chlamys, a short cloak, which at that time had been worn by a warrior. Behind Mars' head one can find a mintmark stating X. It is worth mentioning that Mars was an essential figure in Rome. He was a Roman god and Romans considered him to be the defender of the city and a god who was always by the side of Roman armed forces when these were at war.

The Roman coin denarius was first minted in or about 211 BC. This was the period of the Roman Republic as well as the period of the Second Punic War. At that time denarius[³²] had a weight of 4.5 grams on average. Throughout the second century BC, the coin decreased in weight, having about 3.9 grams, which is a theoretical weight of 1/84 of a Roman pound. This weight was stable until the period of Nero, when denarius had its weight reduced down to 3.4 grams, or 1/96 of a Roman pound.

Afterwards during the reign of other Roman emperors throughout the 3^rd century, the weight of the coin was reduced to 3 grams. When denarius was introduced it was valued at 10 asses. This explains the name of the coin. If translated from Latin denarius mean "containing ten." Somewhere around 141BC the coin had been re-tariffed at 16 asses, thus showing the decrease in weight of the as.

Diocletian made several important reforms in the times of disaster for Roman Empire. Some reforms were undertaken in the monetary field. The emperor entirely transformed the system of Roman currency. Diocletian introduced the nummus (also called follis[³³]), which was valued at 25 denarii, as well as its radiate fraction, substituted old coins such as sesterius, dupondius and the as.

The nummus included on its reverse the Genius of the Roman People and the radiate fraction featured Jupiter. The new coins issued by Diocletian were minted in different mints of the empire throughout the first decades of the 4^th century AD.

In 284 Diocletian became the emperor of Rome. He put the armies back under his control due to his abilities as a competent soldier and a wise administrator. Diocletian wanted to bring stability in the empire, which was too big for a single man to control it adequately. In order to manage the problem Diocletian appointed in 285 as his Caesar, his then trusted general Maximian, who was to take the control of Italy and the west of Roman Empire.

Jove, which means Jupiter, was the title of Diocletian and Hercule was the title of Maximian. Both titles reflected their relative status. A year later, in 286, Diocletian appointed Maximian as co-Augustus. In 293, with the goal of stabilizing the situation in the empire, especially concerning the military needs, the emperor appointed Galerius and Constantius as two Caesars who were subordinate to the two Augusti.

The first coins made of gold and silver were invented in a place called the Kingdom of Lydia, which today is western Turkey. The year when coins appeared was 620 BC. Ancient coins independently appeared in both China and India somewhere around 600 BC. Quite soon the art of coinage[⁹¹⁹] spread throughout the independent city state of Ionia, located on the coast of Aegina, and later it went on to other parts of the Greek world. The latter occupied a huge territory that extended from the Black Sea to Sicily and southern Italy.

Diocletian was the emperor of Rome in the period between November 20, 284 and May 1, 305. He managed to rise in position and later became cavalry commander under the rule of Carus. When the Latter died, his potential successor, Numerian, who also happened to be his son, was to become the Roman Emperor but died during a campaign in Persia.

The two deaths lead to Diocletian becoming the Roman emperor. After deafeating the second son of Carus, by the name Carinus, Diocletian eliminated the only barrier on his way to becoming emperor. After taking over the throne in Rome, he appointed Maximian his Augustus, thus making him his right hand in ruling the empire. The event took place in 285.

Ancient Greek coins of the archaic period are the first coins to ever be struck[¹¹⁸⁶] by human kind. They include such numismatic items as silver stater, minted in Aegina and Silver Tetradrachm, issued in Athens.

Aegina

Silver Stater

(480 to 431 BC)

The obverse[¹⁰⁸⁴] of the coin depicts a tortoise while the reverse[¹¹³⁹] shows incuse that is divided into 5 parts.