Ancient states and dynasts were often engaged in wars for which they had no sufficient financiary means to finance since their beginning. The solution of their need of money to pay mercenaries and troops was not only in booties or land assignations, but also in reductions and devaluations of their coin standards, which were not only a Roman phenomenon of the Punic wars, but also a practice often noticeble in Sicily – since the gradually established, and here recostructed, bronze monometallism of Dionysius I, and from the coinages of Agathocles – and Italy – during the Pyrric war –. But standard reductions nourished inflation and further devaluations.
Gli antichi stati e dinasti si sono spesso cimentati in guerre per le quali sin dall’inizio non disponevano di mezzi finanziari sufficienti. La soluzione al loro bisogno di denaro per pagare truppe e mercenari non fu trovata solo nel ricorso a bottini o assegnazioni di terre, ma anche in riduzioni e svalutazioni dell’unità di misura monetaria che non furono solo un fenomeno romano dell’epoca delle guerre puniche, ma anche una pratica spesso rilevabile in Sicilia – sin dal monometallismo bronzeo stabilito per gradi, ricostruiti, da Dionisio I, o dalle coniazioni di Agatocle – e in Italia – durante la guerra pirrica –. Ma le riduzioni dello standard alimentarono inflazione e ulteriori svalutazioni.
Spese belliche, finanza “creativa” e tracolli monetari nell’Occidente antico: alcune evidenze monetali
CARROCCIO, Benedetto
2011-01-01
Abstract
Ancient states and dynasts were often engaged in wars for which they had no sufficient financiary means to finance since their beginning. The solution of their need of money to pay mercenaries and troops was not only in booties or land assignations, but also in reductions and devaluations of their coin standards, which were not only a Roman phenomenon of the Punic wars, but also a practice often noticeble in Sicily – since the gradually established, and here recostructed, bronze monometallism of Dionysius I, and from the coinages of Agathocles – and Italy – during the Pyrric war –. But standard reductions nourished inflation and further devaluations.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.