284 AD. The ascension of Diocletian and the shift away from the city of Rome as the center of the Empire. There’s still an Empire after that point - but it’s only dubiously Roman.
Dominate vs. Principate.
Coinage also took a steep nosedive in terms of quality and silver content at this point. I’d argue that Diocletian’s argenteii were among the last really “good” coins produced before it all devolved into tiny pieces of copper (nummi). Then again, they were arguably more comemmorative than meant for circulation which is why you’ll be fairly hard pressed to come across visibly worn ones.
284 AD. The ascension of Diocletian and the shift away from the city of Rome as the center of the Empire. There’s still an Empire after that point - but it’s only dubiously Roman.
Dominate vs. Principate. Coinage also took a steep nosedive in terms of quality and silver content at this point. I’d argue that Diocletian’s argenteii were among the last really “good” coins produced before it all devolved into tiny pieces of copper (nummi). Then again, they were arguably more comemmorative than meant for circulation which is why you’ll be fairly hard pressed to come across visibly worn ones.