solidus
E51789
The solidus was a highly influential late Roman gold coin introduced by Emperor Constantine that became a standard currency across Europe and the Mediterranean for centuries.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Roman coin
→
gold coin → historical currency → |
| category |
Ancient Roman coins
→
Byzantine coins → Gold coins → |
| circulatedIn |
Byzantine Empire
→
Eastern Roman Empire → Europe → Mediterranean region → Western Roman Empire → |
| denominationSystem |
1 solidus = 1,728 nummi
→
1 solidus = 24 siliquae → |
| economicRole |
backbone of late Roman and Byzantine gold currency system
→
|
| influenced |
Byzantine nomisma
→
Islamic dinar → medieval European gold coinage → |
| introducedBy |
Constantine the Great
→
|
| introducedIn |
circa 312 CE
→
|
| introducedInEmpire |
Roman Empire
→
|
| linguisticLegacy |
etymological ancestor of French sol
→
etymological ancestor of Italian soldo → etymological ancestor of Spanish sueldo → influenced English abbreviation “s” for shilling → source of the term solidus in medieval Latin accounting → |
| material |
gold
→
|
| mintedIn |
Alexandria
→
Antioch → Constantinople → Ravenna → Rome → Thessalonica → |
| monetaryReformOf |
Constantine the Great
→
|
| obverseDepiction |
bust of the emperor
→
|
| replaced |
aureus as main gold coin
→
|
| reverseDepiction |
Victoria
→
angel → cross → victory or Christian symbols → |
| servedAs |
medium of international trade
→
store of value → unit of account → |
| stability |
maintained high fineness for centuries
→
|
| standardWeight |
1⁄72 of a Roman pound
→
about 4.5 grams → |
| timePeriodOfUse |
Byzantine period
→
late Roman period → |
| typicalFineness |
about 95–98 percent gold
→
|
| usedAs |
standard gold currency
→
|
| usedUntil |
early Middle Ages in Western Europe
→
|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Byzantine Empire
→
Constantinian dynasty → Roman Antiquity → |
currency |
|
hyperpyron
→
|
replaced |