Denarius Imitation of Roman Republic Denarius

Dacian silversmiths copied Roman Republican denarii obsessively from roughly the mid-second century BC onward, producing what specialists call "barbarous imitations" — coins that track the degradation of a prototype through successive copying generations. The further removed from the original die, the more abstracted the imagery becomes, until the design dissolves into pure symbol. This piece, referencing RRC 202/1a, sits early in that copying chain, which typically means closer fidelity to the Roman prototype and a higher silver content than later issues.

The Dacians had no treaty obligation to match Roman fineness — they simply chose to, at first, because the coins needed to pass in trade contexts where Romans were present.