Denarius

The denarius was the standard Roman silver coin of the early Empire, struck at about 3.9 grams of nearly pure silver and roughly 18 mm in diameter. Under Tiberius (AD 14–37), the obverse bore the emperor's laureate head with the legend TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, and the reverse depicted his mother Livia seated as Pax. It was this coin Jesus called for when asked about paying tribute to Caesar (Mark 12:13–17), pointing to the image and inscription before answering, 'Render to Caesar what is Caesar's.' A denarius was the daily wage agreed for vineyard labourers in Matthew 20:2, and the price of two days' lodging plus care for a wounded traveller in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:35). Pliny the Elder records that legionary infantry earned ten asses (later renumbered to sixteen) per day; a single denarius bought a soldier's food, a sextarius of cheap wine, or admission to the public baths many times over.