Greek Coins vs Roman Coins

Our exhibit focuses on both the differences and similarities found when comparing ancient Greek and Roman coins to one another. As seen through the various comparisons conducted in our gallery, one can learn that the biggest differentiation between these two types of coins is that while Greek coins often depict the busts of gods on their obverse sides, the obverse sides of Roman coins were often made with the busts of specific rulers or emperors from when the coin was minted. This being the largest distinction between them in regards to how they were designed, the symbolism behind them is actually quite similar. That is, in both Greek and Roman coins, the gods or other prominent human figures who were stamped into the currency were meant to be held in reverence by the populace. Moreover, both types of coins emphasized previous victories in battle for each of their respective cultures, as well as the importance of certain idealized virtues in their societies that became a part of their identities as citizens. With all of this in mind, it can be seen in our exhibit that the Greeks played a large role in influencing Roman culture.