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roleplaying:hero:ir:currency_of_the_imperium

Currency of the Imperium

Note that the following is not historically accurate; simplifications have been made to suit the game setting.

The Imperium offers standardized coins in five denominations. The Solidus, Miliarense, Siliqua, and Follis weigh 5 grams, with copper and nickel making up the bulk of the coin. The Solidus is made with 2.5 grams of gold, the Milarense with 2.5 grams of silver, the Siliqua with 0.25 grams of silver, the Follis with .025 grams of silver, and the Nummus is a 2 gram coin containing only copper and nickel. ½ Solidus, ½ Miliarense, and ½ Siliqua coins are also in circulation.

Coins are valued as follows:

1 Solidus = 10 Milarenses

1 Milarense = 10 Silique

1 Siliqua = 10 Folles

1 Follis = 10 Nummii

In current day American terms, the Follis can be thought of as $1, and prices will be listed as such. 1 Solidus may be thought of as worth $1000, and Gold is effectively valued at $40 per gram.

Roughly ½ Milarense per day would be a respectable wage for a tradesman in Roma. 1 Solidus per month is enough to support a Plebian family of four in Roma in modest comfort. A very well off Plebian merchant or master craftsman might make 10 or more Solidii per month, easily supporting a large household including slaves. The very richest of the nobility might have personal assets valued in the tens of thousands of Solidii. Life in the country and provinces is far cheaper. A farmer in Britannia is happy to see 5 Milarenses of income in a month, and much of that would be in the form of barter. Prices naturally increase near major cities, with prices in Londinium or Lutece very near to those in Roma itself.

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roleplaying/hero/ir/currency_of_the_imperium.txt · Last modified: 2007/02/11 16:46 by 127.0.0.1