The first coin struck by the ancient Romans bore a Greek inscription.

In the image, we can see the first coin struck by ancient Rome. It dates back to 326 BC, and the inscription reads in Greek “ΡΩMAIΩN” (Of the Romans).

The use of the Greek language can be explained by the fact that the coin was struck down south in Neapolis (modern-day Naples) which was a Greek colony.

One could say that this was a precursor to the eventual linguistic shift of the state centuries later, when its boundaries were confined to the Greek East.

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