Description

• The AE coins of ancient Rome are a fascinating glimpse into the past, particularly around the later Roman empire from around the 3rd century AD. These coins were used for everyday transactions and were made of bronze or copper. They depict a variety of scenes from Roman life, including gods and goddesses, animals, and imperial leaders. The term "AE" is usually associated with AE1-4 in accordance to size, AE1 being the largest. It is actually a modern construction and we have little or no insight of what this coinage was actually called. The terms "Follis" or "Nummus" are also commonly used, though more recently it is becoming accepted that the term Nummus may have been the correct one also used at the time. As the empire's economic fortunes decreased the size of coinage also fell making the AE4 class very predominant until the fall of Rome and the coin reforms of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire).
• The name Caesar is derived from the Latin word caesaries, meaning "hairy". The archetypal "Caesar" was Gaius Julius Caesar a member of the Julia clan in ancient Rome who achieved dictatorial status. The first emperor of Rome, Augustus, was adopted son of Julius Caesar and originally named Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian), but he took on the name Augustus after being granted sole power over Rome by the Senate. Augustus' nephew and heir, Tiberius, was also given the title of Caesar. Following the legacy of Julius Caesar, the term Caesar is also used to refer to someone who has been appointed as ruler or appointed by a ruler to rule in their stead. In the later Roman empire, the title of Caesar was given to the heir apparent of the emperor. The German leaders "Kaiser" title stems from Caesar.