The ancient Roman empire had a huge impact on the history of gold. After 300 BC, their increasing empire was slowly helped by a significant growth in gold supply. An all-time high of approximately ten tonnes of gold was accumulated by Rome annually. This is the highest amount of gold extracted from the earth to date on an annual basis and most likely will not be seen again.
frequently and in mass volume, this new strategy developed for political propaganda is still used today.
The monetary system of the empire of Rome during Caesar's Regime became centered around gold. Coins were minted with embossed images of his portrait. The Romans are estimated to have utilized approximately 1,400 tonnes of gold per year during this time period. Although the Romans utilized massive amounts of gold, they did not use it for decorative or artistic purposes other than jewelry, which they crafted in abundance.
was claimed by the Romans went into the manufacture of more gold coins. The Romans brought the use of gold coins into the Western world through trade from Britain, Spain, France, and to the shores of the Mediterranean. The last pure gold coin made was a smaller version of the previous gold coins due to the fact the gold supplies were almost diminished in the years beyond 300 AD. After the fall of the Roman empire, the beginning of the debasement of the currency supply began. This is when gold is forged with lesser metals to make coins of lesser value. That is exactly how fiat currency came into play.