The Roman Empire
Domitian


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

Maintaining the world’s largest Empire required enormous resources. Contemporaneous with this coin’s striking, Emperor Hadrian commanded several hundreds of thousand of soldiers, each of whom earned over one hundred denarii annually. Thus, Rome’s yearly military budget easily exceeded a hundred million denarii, not including non-labor expenses such as meals, lodging, weapons, armor, and transportation. Beyond keeping the troops well compensated, Rome also had a vast infrastructure to support, not to mention coverage of entertainment expenses. Not coincidentally, the ancient Romans developed cutting-edge methods for locating and extracting ores of silver, as well as many other metals such as gold, copper, iron, tin, and lead. The most easily obtained metals where those exposed to the earth’s surface, for example in streambeds. Once exposed deposits were depleted, the next easily extracted ores were those just under the surface, accessible by methodical strip mining. The most difficult strategy was deep-vein mining. This approach was also quite dangerous; ancient miners faced numerous hazardous such as deadly cave-ins, oppressive heat, improper lighting, and poor ventilation. Such risks attest the rewards, as ancient Rome took mining to new depths. Innovations included the use of artificial reservoirs to deliver jets of water into the mine, flushing away soil and rocks to expose ore-bearing bedrock. The same concept, known as hydraulic mining, saw widespread use until relatively modern times, for instance during the mid 19th century California Gold Rush. Becoming efficient at mining was not by itself sufficient to support Rome’s demand; the Empire expanded its territories to control more metal resources. For example, increased access to metals ores was a major motivator for Emperor Claudius’ conquest of Britannia. As a fascinating illustration of Rome’s growing use of metals, consider modern-day studies of Greenland ice core samples, whose contents provide a historical record of global metal contamination, hence world production. Specifically, it was found that lead levels spiked dramatically in early 1st century AD, paralleling the Roman Empire's rise- only in modern times would such high levels of world lead production be exceeded. Undoubtedly, control and exploitation of metal resources was critically important for the Roman Empire's prosperity. In appreciation of its most prominent mines, Rome issued a special series of bronze quadrans. These “coins of the mines” represent a fascinating subset of ancient Roman coinage. As an example, consider the current specimen. Consistent with the obverse, depicting the helmeted and draped bust of ROMA, it was probably struck in Rome. The reverse depicts a female figure holding grain ears and raising the hem of her robe. Based on the inscription (DARDANICI), this coin was presumably intended to honor the mines and miners located in Dardania. Located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, natural-resource rich Dardania was an inviting target for human settlement since prehistoric times. Its ancient people, the formidable Dardani, fell under the dominion of the apparently even more formidable Romans. Among those conquering the region were Gaius Scribonius Curio (the first Roman military commander to reach the Danube) and Marc Antony. By the time Octavian emerged as Rome’s Augustus, Dardanian was firmly on the path to Romanization. Due to its central location and access to the Danube River, the region became a major hub within Rome’s extensive transportation system. During Emperor Domitian’s reign, Dardanian territory became part of the newly established province of Upper Moesia. The region remained under control of the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire until it was overrun by Slavic tribes in 6th century AD. For centuries, Dardania provided the Roman Empire a rich source of silver, gold, zinc, copper, and lead ores. Even today, these mines are highly sought after – for archaeological study and insights into ancient Dardania’s vibrant and eclectic culture. Additional reading: V P Petrović, 2007, “Pre-Roman and Roman Dardania - Historical and Geographical Considerations,” Balcanica XXXVII, pp 7-23. Coin Details: 'Dardanian Metal' issue, struck in Rome, during reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD), AE Quadrans (3.77g, 19mm), NGC Grade: VF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Helmeted and draped bust of Roma right, RO - MA, Reverse: Female figure standing left, holding grain ears, and raising hem of robe, DARDANICI, Reference: RIC II (Hadrian) 1016; BMC 1858; Cohen 1514.

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