[1995] La crise de la monnaie dans l'Empire romain au IIIe siècle après J.-C. Synthèse des recherches et résultats nouveaux (original) (raw)

The Currency Crisis in the Roman Empire in the 3rd Century A.D.: A Summary of Research and New Findings. This study aims to synthesize recent research on currency in the Roman Empire during the 3rd century A.D. This period, turning point between the classical world and late Antiquity, was marked by important social economic and cultural changes of which, currency is an excellent example. The collapse of the old trimetallic monetary system inherited from Augustus, the quasidisappea ance of monied silver metal and the primacy accorded to gold are so many facts which, added to the effects of inflation and the successive monetary reforms decided upon by the emperors, precipitated the socio-economic mutations. It seems that the monetary phenomena were major vehicle for the transfer of wealth and facilitated the constitution an ever-more inegalitarian society.