Binti Abdullah
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 24, 2015
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Sarafu hizi zilitumika enzi za utawala wa dola ya rumi,na hasa zilitumika katika malipo ya ngono na ulilipwa tokana na aina ya mtindo uliotumia katika uasherati.Mfano mzuri ukitazama katika movie ya SPartacus.
Because they show exactly what they were ment for - to pay a prostitute. Those coins were called Spintriae. There are 184 different versions of those coins known today.
Prostitution was wide spread in Roman Times. The soldiers of the legions were not allowed to marry for 25 years while serving, so this „solution“ was essential for the functioning of the army.
Later those coins probably were used also as a form of play money and collectibles amongst soldiers. Collecting them and having one from each „design“ was a big thing in the often boring every day life on watch duty out north on the Limes.
And ther is an other important fact. How else would you pay for a prostitute? With a normal coin? Well on those coins one side had always the head of the emperor, a semi-religiously venerated person, and on the other side even a picture of a god/goddess.
Using the emperors image to pay for sex was a sacrilege. There is a well documented case of an equestrian under Caracalla, who was sentenced to death for bringing a coin with the emperor's likeness into a brothel; he was spared only by the emperor's own death.
And according to Suetonius, carrying a ring or a coin bearing the emperor's image into a latrine or a brothel could be the basis for an accusation of treason (maiestas) under Tiberius.
It is often thought that the coins also functioned to bridge language barriers, as the act desired was clearly pictured on the coin. Most of the prostitutes were slave girls, brought in from all over the empire, who were not speaking any latin.
The coins could be bought with normal currency at official places and also exchanged there. By this procedure the government ensured that the two taxes were paid and correctly collected. Once the tax for the customer and second the tax for the provider of the services.
The numbers on the coins indicate their value, going from 1 As to 16 As, the most common prices for prostitutes. Interesting is the fact, that the price was determined by three factors: the services provided, the beauty and skill of the lady, but also the status of the client. So different clients had do pay different prices for the same service. If you were for example a grave digger by profession and therefore part of the bottom of society, your night with the woman of your dreams did cost you ten times as much as it would have costed a handsome centurion.
Source: Spintria - Wikipedia
This is a spintria. They were used in ancient Rome to request and pay for different “services” in brothels and from prostitutes on the street. Since there were a lot of foreigners coming to the city that did not speak the language and most of the prostitutes were slaves captured from other places the coins made the transactions easy and efficient. One side of these coins showed what the buyer wanted and the other showed the amount of money to be paid for the act.
A spintria (plural, spintriae ) is a Roman token, possibly for brothels, usually depicting sexual acts or symbols.
They may have been used to pay prostitutes, who at times spoke a different language. While this is subject to argument, the numbers on them line up with known prices for Roman prostitutes (University of Queensland reference). Some theorize them gaming tokens, and they may have been produced for only a short period, probably in the 1st century A.D.
There were usually struck from brass or bronze, and were little smaller than a U.S. quarter.
The represented erotic plot was suitable for the provided services.
Some of the coins depicted homosexual acts between men.
Sprintias from Pompei
Prostitution was wide spread in Roman Times. The soldiers of the legions were not allowed to marry for 25 years while serving, so this „solution“ was essential for the functioning of the army.
Later those coins probably were used also as a form of play money and collectibles amongst soldiers. Collecting them and having one from each „design“ was a big thing in the often boring every day life on watch duty out north on the Limes.
And ther is an other important fact. How else would you pay for a prostitute? With a normal coin? Well on those coins one side had always the head of the emperor, a semi-religiously venerated person, and on the other side even a picture of a god/goddess.
And according to Suetonius, carrying a ring or a coin bearing the emperor's image into a latrine or a brothel could be the basis for an accusation of treason (maiestas) under Tiberius.
The coins could be bought with normal currency at official places and also exchanged there. By this procedure the government ensured that the two taxes were paid and correctly collected. Once the tax for the customer and second the tax for the provider of the services.
The numbers on the coins indicate their value, going from 1 As to 16 As, the most common prices for prostitutes. Interesting is the fact, that the price was determined by three factors: the services provided, the beauty and skill of the lady, but also the status of the client. So different clients had do pay different prices for the same service. If you were for example a grave digger by profession and therefore part of the bottom of society, your night with the woman of your dreams did cost you ten times as much as it would have costed a handsome centurion.
ANCIENT ROMAN COINS WITH SEX SCENES - SPRINTIA
This is a spintria. They were used in ancient Rome to request and pay for different “services” in brothels and from prostitutes on the street. Since there were a lot of foreigners coming to the city that did not speak the language and most of the prostitutes were slaves captured from other places the coins made the transactions easy and efficient. One side of these coins showed what the buyer wanted and the other showed the amount of money to be paid for the act.
The represented erotic plot was suitable for the provided services.
Some of the coins depicted homosexual acts between men.
Sprintias from Pompei
