Why Did Rome Stop Using Greek on Its Coins?

Long ago, the Roman Empire was huge. It included many people who spoke Greek. At first, Roman money had words in both Latin and Greek so everyone could understand it. But later, Romans decided they wanted to show they were the bosses. They started putting more Latin on their coins and less Greek. This was like a team captain choosing their own language for the scoreboard instead of using the translator's version. It sent a strong message: Rome rules, and we speak our own tongue now.

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Examples

  1. A Roman soldier in Spain reads his pay slip and sees only Latin letters.
  2. A merchant in Egypt buys bread with coins that have Greek words written on them.
  3. The Emperor's face appears on a coin with the word "Roma" clearly spelled out.

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Categories: History · Rome· Coins· Language· Latinization