Found this interesting titbit for people with an interest in ancient economics:
"In 64 AD the emperor Nero reforms the coinage, reducing the amount of gold and silver in the coin. This creates a discrepancy, inside the Roman Empire all coins are worth the same (enforced by the central authority) but outside the empire coins are simply pieces of gold and silver. So it became profitable to export pre-reform pieces." http://www.kushan.org/essays/chronology/kanishka.htm In terms of inflation, this could have lead to an interesting parallel money market, with people buying the old heavier coins to sell the gold, therefore pushing up their value, while at the same time, causing a shortage of coins in circulation which could lead to .......?? ________________________________________________ Rui Correia Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant 2 Cutten St, Horison, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, South Africa Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336 Cell (+27) (0) 83-368-1214 "Quando a verdade é substituída pelo silêncio, o silêncio é uma mentira" - Yevgeny Yevtushenko "When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie" - Yevgeny Yevtushenko
