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A Caesar Thing
 Rita Mailheau
What article about ancient coins would be complete without the mention of Rome? As ancient coins go, these treasures have impacted modern practices dramatically.
To this day, the United States models monetary standards upon ancient coins in two notable ways. Stamping the head of an important figure on the front and a brief inspirational concept on the reverse, such as liberty.
There is a famous record in the Book of Matthew. Some young Herodians, seeking to bait Jesus Christ ask the question, "Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? They referred to Biblical law, not Roman law. Jesus asked to see tribute money, and inquired, "Whose is this image and superscription? They stated the obvious, "Caesar's. Jesus' famous reply is this, "Render therefore to Caesar, these that are Caesar's; and to God those that are God's.
So, which Caesar was it? That point remains unclear but three Caesars had thus far minted coins: Julius Caesar, assassinated 44 BC; Augustus Caesar 27 BC 14 AD; and Tiberius Caesar 14 AD 37 AD.
The corruption of Roman coinage mirrored that of the empire itself. Those vying for power minted coins. Pompey the Great grew enormously wealthy from the spoils of his military campaigns. He minted coinage to pay his armies and in the process purchased their allegiance. And what better way to remind them where their money came from than having his picture stamped on it?
David R. Sear, of The Chicago Coin Club in his article, Eight Hundred Years of Roman Coinage, notes a singular irony. Brutus, one of Caesar's key assassins, minted a coin to commemorate Caesar's death while stamping his own image upon it.
Caesar's rivals minted their own coins, but it was Caesar's successor, Augustus who reformed Roman monetary practices and re-centralized minting.
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