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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Gam3rBlake, post: 8121036, member: 115909&quot;]The silver itself was attained via conquest &amp; mining.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usually the coinage itself got into the economy via the military.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example under Tiberius the Roman legionaries demanded to be paid 1 denarius per day and they got it.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Roman legion consisted of 5,000 legionaries. According to Polybius in the 3rd century BC the Romans sent 8 legions to stop Hannibal. That&#039;s 40,000 men.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The Senate determined to bring eight legions into the field, which had never been done at Rome before, each legion consisting of five thousand men besides allies. ...Most of their wars are decided by one consul and two legions, with their quota of allies; and they rarely employ all four at one time and on one service. But on this occasion, so great was the alarm and terror of what would happen, they resolved to bring not only four but eight legions into the field.</p><p><br /></p><p>— Polybius, <i>The Histories of Polybius&quot;</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><br /></p><p>If we assume Polybius is correct that means that in the 3rd century BC the Roman government was spending tens of thousands of denarii <i>per day </i>to keep their legions in the field<i>.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Later under Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars there were a whopping 13 legions in the field. 65,000 men all being paid 1 denarius per day.</p><p><br /></p><p>However the actual amount would&#039;ve been MUCH higher due to certain ranks like centurions making ALOT more than normal legionaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>What did legionaries do with that money?</p><p><br /></p><p>They spent it. Roman armies often had camps of thousands of people following behind them to provide services to the soldiers. From cooks to prostitutes.</p><p><br /></p><p>That&#039;s probably how the vast majority of money entered the population.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another way that money entered the economy and is important to remember is the concept of &quot;donativum&quot; where new Emperors would pay huge amounts of money to soldiers and the Praetorian guard to buy their loyalty.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Lastly when Roman soldiers completed their 20 years (22 for the navy) of military service they were given a relatively large amount of cash (among other benefits such as land) on the spot. Under Augustus this payment was 10,000 sesterces (2,500 denarii).</p><p><br /></p><p>This huge payment would&#039;ve been equal to about 12 years pay and so with soldiers completing service every year I imagine vast amounts of money entered the economy this way.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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