Inflation

                                                                     Inflation
                                                                                 Written by Olivia Hanley

         Many say that a rise in prices lead to the Fall of the Roman Empire. The inflation started almost immediately after Marcus Aurelius died.  As Romans stopped conquering new lands, the flow of gold into the economy decreased dramatically. Gold was valued by the Romans for its beauty and was also used for trade. There was less gold to use in coins. As the amount of gold used in coins decreased, the coins became less valuable. To make up for this loss of value, the prices of gold increased. Gold was used to tell the difference between the rich and the poor. Many people had to stop using coins and citizens began to barter. Salaries had to be paid in food and clothing rather than money or gold. Taxes then had to be paid in fruits and vegetables because only the wealthy had gold. Rome would quickly run out of their payments, since food did not grow all the time and overnight. After the luxurious emperor Commodus's assassination, the Empire had almost no money left.

These are original Roman gold coins.

These are the later Roman coins made of silver.

Sources:

www.rome.info/history/empire/fall

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/fallromeeconomic/a/econoffall.htm