Denarius, << dih NAIR ee uhs >>, was a silver coin used by the Romans during the periods of the Republic and the Empire. The Romans first issued the coins about 211 B.C. The denarius disappeared from circulation in the A.D. 200’s. The silver denarius by that time had been replaced by one struck from billon, an alloy made with copper and a small amount of silver. The value of the denarius first equaled 10, and later 16, of the copper coins called asses. The standard gold coin of the Roman Empire was the aureus. It was about the same size as the denarius and was worth 25 denarii. The denarius was the penny referred to in the New Testament. Its initial, d, was the English symbol for penny, or pence.
