Buying and Selling in the Roman World

Money, Buying, Selling, Commerce, Taxes, and Economics in the Roman Empire and the Ancient Mediterranean Lands

In this little series of articles, we will try to answer the question, "What was a particular ancient coin worth?", or, "What would this ancient coin buy?" These questions really have no simple answer, but instead form a jumping - off point for exploring the origins of money and how it was used by the ancients. We will see how their concept of money was different from our own, and explore the reasons people choose to use money rather than other systems of exchange. One article describes the basic purpose of money (No, the purpose of money isn't at all obvious, and several societies had very good reasons for deliberately choosing to not use money for anything other than minor transactions.)

The Ancients' First Use of Money
Some Different Economic Systems in History
About the Coins Illustrating this Series of Articles
What are the Functions of Money?

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