Numismatics Timeline

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c. 635 BCE - 585 BCE
Reign of Alyattes of Lydia. Minting of first coins made from electrum.
600 BCE - 550 BCE
The silver stater coin of Calymna in Caria depicts a tortoise shell lyre on its reverse side.
c. 550 BCE
The silver drachma of Delos depicts a lyre - symbolic of Apollo - on its reverse side.
c. 360 BCE
Pan appears on the reverse of coins of the Arcadian League.
326 BCE
The first Roman coins are minted at Neapolis.
c. 211 BCE
A new system of Roman coinage is introduced which includes the silver denarius.
c. 200 BCE
Rome now dominates the production of coinage in Italy.
c. 157 BCE
There is a boom in the production of Roman silver coinage, in part thanks to the acquisition of silver mines in Macedonia.
c. 141 BCE
The Roman bronze as coin is devalued so that now 16 as equal one silver denarius.
c. 135 BCE
The Roman magistrates responsible for coinage begin to stamp coins with images of landmarks, events and personalities.
c. 100 BCE
Coins of Kos and Thespiai depict a lyre on their reverse side.
c. 46 BCE
Julius Caesar mints the largest quantity of gold coins ever seen in Rome.
c. 23 BCE
The brass orichalcum sestertius is first minted in Rome.
16 BCE
The Roman mint at Lugdunum is established.
64 CE
Nero reduces the weight and percentage of precious metal in Roman coins, a trend continued by several subsequent Roman emperors.
293 CE
Diocletian reforms the Roman coinage system, guaranteeing the gold aurei at 60 to a pound and minting the nummus coin.
301 CE
Diocletian reasseses the values of Roman coins and limits minting rights to between 12 and 15 mints across the empire.