Given the green colour of the coins, it would appear that copper was a major constituent of those coins.
Very Cool. Avete... let’s go? I could not take Latin though I wanted to.. they related with freaking Spanish in my 1970’s high school!
I would suspect a silver copper alloy. It should be noted that throughout history governments debase their currency so as to continue spending. We call it inflation today. In the time of Rome it was called adding base metals to precious metals.
Nothing has changed. Rome used copper, today we use the Federal Reserve. Rome put base metals in the precious metal coinage, the Federal Reserve creates money via the key stroke on a computer and the printing presses roll out dollars with nothing backing them up but the “full faith and credit of the United States Government.”
I have great faith in precious metals and commodities of great value. I have zero faith in paper.
It should be noted that the recovered gold coins from sunken Spanish ships that have been recovered are pure and pristine without corrosion nor debasement of their worth after hundreds of years in the oceans.
The “full faith and credit” of Rome was zero when it collapsed. Those that had jewels and gold and silver had items of value. Those that had the currency of Rome had nothing.
It is really that simple.