Roman Aureus

About Roman Aureus

The standard gold coin of Imperial Rome. Worth 25 silver denarii. Augustus established the regular minting of aurei at 40 to the Roman pound of gold. Contained about 7.8 grams of gold. The aureus was the equivalent of a months salary for a soldier. As the empire declined, emperors reduced the gold content, leading to inflation. Constantine replaced the aureus with the solidus in 309 AD.