John,

The Romans did use the word moneta for money. During the Republic
Triumviri Monetales were officers entrusted as superintendents of the
mint. Inscriptions on coins sometimes show this as III.VIR. As the
name suggests, these officers were three in number. J. Caesar
increased the number to four, and this was sometimes seen as
IIII.VIR.A.P.F (the APF standing for ad pecuniam feriundam)

Much later, after the monetary reforms of Diocletian, Moneta was used
in the mint signature on coins, and this varied in its form: SM (sacra
moneta) M (moneta) P (pecunia). London (Londinium) could be written as
ML, MLN, PLN, PLON, and a few other ways as well. Mediolanum in Italy
used M, but not SM, while Aquilea (also in Italy) used SM but not M.

Regards,

John Hooker

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

shelloak wrote:
>
> My good Friends:  I have a problem.  In the olden Roman times were all the
> Latin words used then the same as they are today?  My problem comes from
> the name given to a small Cypraea which Linne named Cypraea moneta, I guess
> because the natives used this shell for money.  BUT in the old Roman Latin
> it was not used to describe money,  Moneta was the name of the temple of
> the God Juno, much later after this temple was built, the Romas used the
> temple to mint the first coins of that era.  Nowhere can I find that the
> Romans called their coins moneta, maybe I am not reading the correct books,
> so could any of you solve this problem for me?   John Bernard   Crossville,
> Tennessee

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