Roman solidus–nomisma accounting — imperial and regional evidence
Roman and Byzantine solidus–nomisma accounting, connected to both earlier Roman reckoning and later western branches.
- Dates in use
- Introduction and ending not established
- Ancestry branch
- Roman solidus
Where this money came from
3 ancestors · 96 descendants. Follow a name to its history. Select a dated connection for its evidence.
The story
The gold-account tradition branches from the earlier Roman monetary system through a qualified reform history. Frankish and Visigothic accounting preserve western continuations. These connections do not require the old denarius account to have disappeared when solidus reckoning developed. [1] [2] [3]
Turning points
Account-unit observation
CTh 7.13.7.2, issued at Antioch on 2 June 375, assesses a recruit obligation at 36 solidi, including six for clothing and expenses. This is an Eastern imperial account observation. [4]
Account-unit observation
CTh 7.13.13, Padua, 24 September 397, allows senators to discharge recruitment obligations by paying 25 solidi per recruit to the treasury. This is a Western imperial account observation. [5]
Account-unit observation
PSI IX 1074 orders payment of 4½⅓ solidi. Its corrected date is 15 October 400 AD; the fractional amount supplies account-unit evidence. [6]
Account-unit observation
BGU III 726 dates a loan to 19 October 481. Its principal is one gold solidus less four keratia; repayment is flax of the equivalent value at repayment, with wheat interest. This demonstrates an account valuation beyond simply counting an unchanged coin. [7]
Account-unit observation
P.Lond.V 1737 records a debt of 3⅓ gold nomismata/solidi by the local Syene standard, with interest stated in gold carats per solidus. It is dated 9 February 613. [8]
Account-unit observation
P.Ness.55 combines a tax receipt and a private acknowledgement of debt for the same 4⅓ nomismata. Its proposed 11 April 682 dating carries a question mark; the Palestinian association is also qualified. Association with the later continuous currency identity remains qualified. [9]
Sources and evidence
- T. V. Buttrey · Dio, Zonaras and the Value of the Roman Aureus, JRS 51 (1961), 40–45; Gilles Bransbourg · Inflation and monetary reforms in the fourth century: Diocletian’s twin Edicts of AD 301 (2020), 165–194; Alessia Rovelli, in Rory Naismith (ed.), Money and Coinage in the Middle Ages (2018), pp. 63–92 · From the Fall of Rome to Charlemagne (c.400–800) C2084 ↗
- Peter Spufford (1988) · Money and its Use in Medieval Europe, Cambridge University Press; Horst Lößlein · Solidus (2021), Formulae–Litterae–Chartae C1987 ↗
- Andrew Kurt · Visigothic Currency in its Making and Movement (2019) C1988 ↗
- Codex Theodosianus; Latin edition hosted by Grenoble Droit romain · Book VII, military obligations C1977 ↗
- Codex Theodosianus; Latin edition hosted by Grenoble Droit romain · Book VII, military obligations C1978 ↗
- Roger S. Bagnall · Currency and Inflation in Fourth Century Egypt (BASP Supplements 5, 1985); PSIonline scholarly papyrus database · PSI IX 1074, BML inv. 18848 C1846 ↗
- Marius Gerhardt, Berlin Papyrus Database · Clever Business? BGU III726 (P.7788) C1380 ↗
- ERC Elephantine project; Ruth Duttenhöfer; translation J.J.Farber in Porten 1996 D52 · Loan contract P.Lond.V 1737 / Pap.London 1789 C1381 ↗
- Arietta Papaconstantinou · A preliminary prosopography of moneylenders in early Islamic Egypt and South Palestine (2010) C1843 ↗
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“Roman solidus–nomisma accounting — imperial and regional evidence.” The Family Tree of Money. © Field Technologies, Inc. Reader edition 2026-10-13; research dataset v44. https://familytreeofmoney.org/currency/CUR-V26-EGYPT-SOLIDUS-NOMISMA.html