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LiveScience
LiveScience
Konstantine Panegyres

How the ancient Romans managed their wealth (it wasn't just by hiding hoards)

Gold silver Caligula Suetonius Virgil
Section of a priestly crown with Helios driving a quadriga, gold, gorgippia, North Pontus, 1st century AD.

"All I want is an income of 20,000 sesterces from secure investments", proclaims a character in a poem by Juvenal (first to second century A.D.), the Roman poet.

Today, 20,000 sesterces would be equivalent to about [Australian] $300,000 in interest from investments. Anyone would be very happy with this much passive annual income.

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