Convert Denarius (Biblical Roman) (denarius) to Drachma (Biblical Greek) (drachma) instantly.
About these units
Denarius (Biblical Roman) (denarius)
The denarius, about 3.9–4.5 grams, was the standard Roman silver coin of the early empire and appears frequently in the New Testament. It was considered a typical day's wage for a laborer, providing historians with a powerful economic reference point. As a mass unit, the denarius represents a consistent silver weight upon which Roman taxation and commercial pricing depended. Its stability made it a backbone of Roman monetary policy. Its appearance in religious texts shows how deeply embedded Roman economics were in the daily lives of conquered regions.
Drachma (Biblical Greek) (drachma)
The drachma, roughly 4.3 grams, served as the principal Greek silver unit for centuries. Both a mass and a monetary unit, the drachma appears extensively in ancient writings, from philosophy to commerce to biblical passages. The term originates from "a handful," linking the weight to early barter practices. Over time, it became a symbol of civic identity—different city-states minted distinct drachmas with unique iconography. Its influence survives in the name of Greece's former national currency, the drachma, reinforcing its cultural legacy.