The Hermitage collection of ancient Roman coins numbers over 46 thousand items. It was formed and grew together with the Museum’s numismatic collection. The early information about ancient Roman coins in the Imperial Hermitage dates back to the late 18th century. Thus, the description provided by Georgi, who visited the Hermitage Münzkabinett (Coin Cabinet) at that time, noted the impressive fullness of the Roman Emperors’ coin collection. And in the years that followed, ancient Roman coins continued to enter the Hermitage on a regular basis, some of them arriving as part of the collections of the Kunstkammer, the Academy of Fine Arts and the private collections of the Naryshkins, J. Reichel, the Shuvalovs and the Stroganovs.
Numismatics is often referred to as “a magic mirror”, while coins are believed to be "metal chronicles” as well as the most effective medium of mass communication of ancient times. For the first time these properties of coins came into full play in Imperial Rome. Indeed, the emperors had a great many ways to distinguish themselves and perpetuate the memory of their deeds in history. They did it by means of military victories, by generously handing out food and money to people, by staging magnificent performances, constructing temples, theatres, public buildings, monuments and obelisks. While one could admire all those magnificent spectacles and buildings in the capital, the same temples, statues, scenes of the emperor’s triumph and benefactions represented on coins could be seen by the inhabitants of the most remote provinces of the Roman Empire. In the same way, very realistically rendered on the obverse of coins, the emperors’ portraits were circulated over the whole empire, thus acquainting the masses with the rulers’ representations.
Coins were extensively used by the emperors of Ancient Rome as a vehicle for spreading propaganda of their policies and purport of their rule. Both the august personage and the virtues and official policies proclaimed by him were worshipped and depicted on coins in the shape of female and male figures with their characteristic attributes.
Coins played a significant role in the imperial policy of “bread and circuses.” Here the coins performed both their primary function of a means of payment and a means of emperor’s glorification. Coins often depicted scenes of the emperor dispensing food and money or showering crowds of subjects with coins during festivals as he stood in a chariot and scattered coins around.
The ruler’s generosity was manifest in the construction and restoration of magnificent public buildings, for example, of the Circus which the Roman loved dearly. Emperor Trajan ordered to mint special large-size copper coins commonly referred to as medallions. One of the coins depicted Trajan telling the rejoicing throng of Romans about the opening of the reconstructed circus, while another one presented a general view of this majestic structure.
