Morning, everyone! Some follow-ups to this thread:

1. I wrote that Tacitus minted no coins, which is an error, apologies. More accurately, he minted *few* coins, especially early in his rule, which contributed to a deflation crisis in 33 CE:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/research/monetary-history-of-the-world/roman-empire/chronology_-by_-emperor/imperial-rome-julio-claudian-age/tiberius-14-37-ad/

1. (cont'd) At the time the spintriae were minted, some lenders were minting their own lending tokens to circumvent his fiscal policy. Given he also had a reputation for kink, it's not impossible these were just private lending tokens and the sex art was intended as satirical.

2. It would be neat, but no, the numbers probably don't refer to specific sex acts. The acts don't consistently correspond to the same numbers. Which may mean different establishments had different numbering systems, of course, but that could get a bit confusing!

2. (cont'd) The numbers 1-16 are significant: Augustan currency was partially binary, and the as (the common "spending" coin you'd use to e.g. buy a drink or a bite to eat) was 1/16th of a denarius. The numbers on the tokens may just represent a redemption rate in ases.

2. (cont'd) A propos, a piece of graffiti in a bathhouse in Pompei reads "Si quis hic sederit, legat hoc ante omnia: si qui futuere voluit Atticen, quaerat aXVI," or "If anyone is sitting here, let him read this before anything: if he wants to fuck Attike, it'll cost 16 ases."

2. (cont'd) Some historians have tried to marry these theories -- i.e. that the number represented a cost and the image the sex act the cost would buy -- but given the inconsistent correspondences, that gets complicated. I think the coiners just enjoyed variety!

3. Some white supremacists have joined the chat. Hi! I'm not interested in your moralising on the Roman Empire or sex work, or in your opinion on whether to use "CE" or "AD" to refer to dates. Have a nice day.

*ahem* It seems I have totally fucked up with threading. Above, when I say "this thread," I mean this thread: https://twitter.com/dtmooreeditor/status/1303789066102636555

Oh, yes!

4. To be honest, the idea that this had nothing to do with paying for sex, and that it was a sort of game, where you'd have a set of sixteen coins in a bag and draw one out and do what it showed,is neat! I don't know if any historians of the period have entertained it.

4. (cont'd) Again, there's no clear evidence one way or the other, and certainly we know the Romans enjoyed fads, as much as we do today. So who knows?