Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="dltsrq, post: 7191451, member: 75482"]Exactly which Roman coin(s) may have been known as "centenionalis" is a long-standing numismatic conundrum. The word is found twice in the Codex Theodosianus but it is not entirely clear to which coin(s) the name corresponds. CTh 9.23.1.3, a law of Constantius II and Julian Caesar,  provides that any merchant found in possession of "any coin other than that which continues in public use" shall have both his coins and his merchandise confiscated. Additionally, the law bans inter-provincial trade (speculation?) in coins per se, specifically those "commonly called" maiorina or centenionalis, along with "other moneys known to be forbidden". The Latin phrasing suggests that these are names in common use but not necessarily official names. Current thinking takes "maiorina" to refer to the large FEL TEMP REPARATIO coins and "centenionalis" to be the reformed Constantinian bronzes of c. 318 to 348. There are those who disagree, however. Another law, CTh 9.23.2, this time of Arcadius and Honorius, authorizes the continued use of a coin again called centenionalis while "larger coins", specifically one called decargyrus, are to be withdrawn. In this second case, "centenionalis" almost certainly refers to the AE4 of the period. The two laws are separated by about 40 years.[/QUOTE]