Money and Power: The Disappearance of Autonomous Silver Issues in the Roman Province of Asia

The standardization process of Asian civic silver coinage that took place during theAugustan Age finds its origins in the attitude that the Roman administration adopted towards civicissues right from the institution of the Provincia Asia in the 120s BC. Through our study of Asianautonomous silver issues, we will demonstrate that Romans were much more involved in the silvercoinages of the Asian cities than any previous power dominating the area, as is suggested by theRoman names present on these issues and the evident decrease in the number of cities issuing themafter the Roman province of Asia was instituted. Another element hinting at Roman intervention isthe fact that the circulation of autonomous silver issues was limited to Caria and Rhodes, regionswhich were bestowed freedom and special privileges after the First Mithridatic War and maintainedthese privileges even afterwards. Asian autonomous issues only became fully integrated into thelocal monetary system during Augustan times through their linkage to the denarius and thecistophorus standards, but this process had already started during the course of the 2nd century BC.After a brief introduction of Augustan policy towards Asian non-autonomous silver coinage, thispaper will provide a survey of the changes in the production and circulation of Asian autonomoussilver issues under Roman dominion up to the Augustan Age, and will show how these changeswere deeply intertwined with a gradual increase in Roman political control over the province ofAsia from the beginning of the Roman period