Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
Where did the Ancient Romans get their precious metals?
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Gam3rBlake, post: 7706714, member: 115909"]I think everyone interested in Ancient Roman history knows about Marcus Licinius Crassus. He led the legions that defeated Spartacus and was well known as the “richest man in Rome” with a net worth of 200 million sesterces (50 million denarii).</p><p><br /></p><p>But apparently Emperor Tiberius had him easily beat in terms of wealth with a net worth of a whopping 625 million denarii.</p><p><br /></p><p>Where did the Romans get the gold & silver to mint all their silver & gold coinage such as the denarius & aureus?</p><p><br /></p><p>The Athenians were able to mint all their Athenian silver owls due to the very productive Mines of Laurion.</p><p><br /></p><p>(This discovery meant that at the beginning of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Second_Persian_invasion_of_Greece" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Second_Persian_invasion_of_Greece" rel="nofollow">second Persian invasion of Greece</a>, the Athenian state had at its disposal 3,000 tons of silver.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Mines_of_Laurion#cite_note-:32-5" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Mines_of_Laurion#cite_note-:32-5" rel="nofollow"> Rather than distribute this wealth amongst the citizens of Athens, </a>Themistocles proposed that this money should be used to construct 200 triremes, which were used to conduct the naval campaign against Persia which culminated in victory at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Battle_of_Salamis" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Battle_of_Salamis" rel="nofollow">Battle of Salamis</a> in 480 BC.)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But did the Romans have productive silver & gold mines as well?</p><p><br /></p><p>Or did they get most of their precious metals from conquest?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Gam3rBlake, post: 7706714, member: 115909"]I think everyone interested in Ancient Roman history knows about Marcus Licinius Crassus. He led the legions that defeated Spartacus and was well known as the “richest man in Rome” with a net worth of 200 million sesterces (50 million denarii). But apparently Emperor Tiberius had him easily beat in terms of wealth with a net worth of a whopping 625 million denarii. Where did the Romans get the gold & silver to mint all their silver & gold coinage such as the denarius & aureus? The Athenians were able to mint all their Athenian silver owls due to the very productive Mines of Laurion. (This discovery meant that at the beginning of the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Second_Persian_invasion_of_Greece']second Persian invasion of Greece[/URL], the Athenian state had at its disposal 3,000 tons of silver.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Mines_of_Laurion#cite_note-:32-5'] Rather than distribute this wealth amongst the citizens of Athens, [/URL]Themistocles proposed that this money should be used to construct 200 triremes, which were used to conduct the naval campaign against Persia which culminated in victory at the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/mobile-html/Battle_of_Salamis']Battle of Salamis[/URL] in 480 BC.) But did the Romans have productive silver & gold mines as well? Or did they get most of their precious metals from conquest?[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Coin Chat
>
Where did the Ancient Romans get their precious metals?
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...