THIS is a very good historical source.
https://users.tkk.fi/~vesanto/link.economy/prices.roman.txt.gz
Prices in Roman times, from Diocletian's price fixing edicts of 301 AD.
Prices are quoted in denarii. These are probably inflated by about a
factor of 50 compared to the first century AD.
Coinage
Quadrans (copper) -- 1/64 den
Semis (orichalcum) -- 1/32 den
As (copper) -- 1/16 den
Dupondius (orichalcum) -- 1/8 den
Sestertius (orichalcum) -- 1/4 den
Quinarius (silver) -- 1/2 den
Denarius (silver) -- 1 den
Quinarius aureus (gold) -- 12.5 den
Aureus (gold) -- 25 den
(Orichalcum was a natural alloy resembling brass)
Measures
Libra (weight) -- about 326 grams
Milliarium (distance) -- about 1.48 kilometres
Modius (volume) -- about 8.46 litres
Pes (length) -- about 29.6 centimetres
Sextarius (volume) -- about 529 cubic centimetres
Web (area of cloth) -- uncertain; perhaps about 5 square metres
Daily weight = 100 den!!
Food and drink
Barley, rye -- 60 den/modius
Beans, crushed -- 100 den/modius
Beans, not crushed -- 60 den/modius
Beef, mutton, goat -- 8 den/libra
Beer -- 2-4 den/sextarius
Cabbage, lettuce -- 0.4-0.8 den
Cheese -- 8 den/libra
Chickens -- 30 den
Eggs -- 1 den
Goose -- 100-200 den
Ham -- 20 den/libra
Honey -- 8-40 den/sextarius
Lentils -- 100 den/modius
Lucanian sausage -- 10-16 den/libra
Oil -- 12-40 den/sextarius
Peaches -- 0.2-0.4 den
Pheasant -- 125-250 den
Pork, lamb -- 12 den/libra
Rice, cleaned -- 200 den/modius
River fish -- 8-12 den/libra
Salt -- 100 den/modius
Sea fish -- 16-24 den/libra
Wheat -- 100 den/modius
Wine -- 8-30 den/sextarius
Other goods
African cloak -- 500 den
Dalmatian tunic, unmarked -- 2000 den
Four-wheeled wagon with yoke, excluding ironwork -- 1500 den
Hooded cloak, Laodicean -- 4500 den
Large fir tree, length 60 pes, girth 6 pes -- 30,000 den
Military saddle -- 500 den
Oak or ash, length 21 pes, girth 3 pes -- 250 den
Oxhide, untanned -- 300-500 den
Patrician's shoes -- 150 den/pair
Sheeting, coarse, for commoners or slaves -- 800-1750 den/web
Sheeting, third quality, from Laodicea -- 5250 den/web
Soldier's boots, without nails -- 100 den/pair
Towelling, Gallic, third quality -- 820 den/web
Wages and salaries
Barber -- 2 den/customer
Elementary teacher, per pupil -- 50 den/month
Farm labourer -- 25 den/day plus keep
Fuller, for new hooded cloak of Laodicean wool -- 175 den/cloak
Linen weaver -- 20-40 den/day plus keep
Mosaic worker -- 50-60 den/day
Scribe -- 20-25 den/100 lines
Stone mason, carpenter -- 50 den/day
Tailor, for work on hooded cloak -- 40-60 den/cloak
Teacher of rhetoric, per pupil -- 250 den/month
Transport
Land, donkey load -- 4 den/milliarium
Land, wagon load, 1200 librae -- 20 den/milliarium
Sea, Libya to Sicily -- 6 den/modius
Sea, Libya to Spain -- 10 den/modius
Sea, Libya to Thessalonica -- 18 den/modius
Sea, Nicomedia to Rome -- 18 den/modius
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--
... Ross Smith (Wanganui, New Zealand) ...
[email protected] ...
GCS/S d? p c++++ l u-- e- m---(*) s+/++ n--- h+ f g+ w+ t+(-) r+ y?
Keeper of the FAQ for rec.aviation.military
Disclaimer: I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything.