What Is a Miliarense? The Prestige Silver Coin of the Late Roman Empire
What Is a Miliarense? The Prestige Silver Coin of the Late Roman Empire
Larger and heavier than the siliqua, the miliarense was an important Late Roman silver denomination whose exact standards and tariff remain debated.
What is a miliarense? The miliarense is the conventional name for a large Late Roman silver denomination introduced under Constantine I in the early fourth century.
It circulated alongside smaller silver denominations in the Constantinian and later Roman monetary systems. Modern numismatists distinguish heavy and light standards, and the precise ancient tariff and function of these coins remain debated.
When Was the Miliarense Introduced?
Miliarenses appear under Constantine the Great during the early fourth century, as substantial silver coinage returned to the imperial system. They belong to the developing Constantinian monetary structure centered increasingly on the gold solidus.
It is safer to describe the miliarense as part of that evolving system than to imply that Constantine created one fixed gold-silver-bronze structure that remained unchanged thereafter.
Why Is It Called a Miliarense?
The ancient terminology is complicated. The Latin term miliarensis appears in Late Roman monetary contexts, but connecting surviving coins to specific documentary names and tariffs is not always straightforward.
Collectors should therefore treat modern denomination labels as useful scholarly classifications rather than assume every surviving piece carried an unambiguous ancient name.
How Much Did a Miliarense Weigh?
- Heavy Roughly 5.3 grams theoretical standard
- Light Roughly 4.5 grams theoretical standard
- Metal High-fineness silver
- Diameter Often roughly 22–25 mm, with variation
Individual surviving weights vary because of mint practice, wear, clipping, corrosion, and manufacture. The distinction between heavy and light miliarenses is therefore more useful than giving one universal weight.
What Was a Miliarense Worth?
The exact tariff is one of the difficult questions in Late Roman numismatics. Proposed relationships to the solidus and siliqua vary by period and scholarly reconstruction.
For collectors, the safest conclusion is that the miliarense represented a substantial silver denomination, but claims such as a universal value of exactly two siliquae or a fixed fraction of a solidus should be treated cautiously.
What Appears on a Miliarense?
The obverse normally carries an imperial portrait and titulature. Reverse designs vary widely and can include Victory, wreath and vow types, standing emperors, military imagery, Roma, and Christian symbols on some later issues.
The broad flans of many miliarenses gave engravers more room than smaller silver denominations, helping make the series especially attractive to portrait collectors.
Was the Miliarense a Ceremonial Coin?
Some miliarenses, especially exceptional or presentation-like issues, may have been connected with donatives, imperial distributions, or ceremonial payments. But it is too strong to describe the denomination as primarily an imperial gift coin.
Its precise monetary role varied over time, and the evidence does not justify assigning every miliarense to diplomacy, ceremony, savings, or large commercial transactions.
Miliarense vs. Siliqua
Both names are used for Late Roman silver, but the miliarense is generally the larger and heavier denomination. Siliquae are typically smaller and survive in much greater numbers.
The relationship between the two was not necessarily fixed across the centuries, so weight, ruler, mint, date, and reference attribution matter more than a simple modern conversion formula.
Who Issued Miliarenses?
The denomination is known for Constantine I and numerous later fourth- and fifth-century rulers, including Constantius II, Julian II, Valentinian I, Valens, Gratian, Theodosius I, Arcadius, and Honorius.
Later Roman and early Byzantine silver systems continued to change, and the miliarense eventually disappeared as other denominations and standards developed.
Theodosius I: Last Emperor of a United Rome
One of the emperors who issued miliarenses. This NGC-certified bronze of Theodosius I comes from the same Late Roman world as the great silver, at a fraction of the price.
Are Miliarenses Rare?
They are generally much scarcer than common Late Roman bronze and usually scarcer than siliquae, but rarity varies enormously by ruler, mint, issue, reverse, and condition.
Strong portraits, unusual types, rare rulers, attractive toning, and well-preserved surfaces can command substantial premiums.
Why the Miliarense Matters
The miliarense gives collectors a larger canvas for the portraits and political imagery of the Late Roman Empire while also exposing one of the period's central numismatic challenges: surviving coins are often easier to classify physically than to fit into a perfectly reconstructed ancient tariff system.
Fall of Rome: Four Late Roman Emperors
Four authentic coins from the emperors of the miliarense era, before the division of AD 395. The Late Roman world of this article in one album.
The miliarense is impressive silver—but its exact place in the Late Roman economy is more complicated than a simple conversion table suggests.
History wasn't just written. It was minted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a miliarense?
A large high-fineness silver denomination used in the Late Roman Empire, beginning under Constantine I.
How much did a miliarense weigh?
Modern numismatists distinguish heavy and light standards, roughly around 5.3 and 4.5 grams theoretically, although surviving coins vary.
Was a miliarense worth two siliquae?
Not as a universal rule. The tariff and relationship between Late Roman silver denominations changed and remain debated.
Was the miliarense a ceremonial coin?
Some issues may have served donative or ceremonial purposes, but the entire denomination should not be reduced to that role.
Are miliarenses rare?
Many are scarce compared with common Late Roman bronze and siliquae, although rarity depends strongly on ruler, mint, type, and condition.
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