[DeaconBenjamin]

Actually, central, by the time Constantine became emperor, Roman coinage was "silver washed" copper where it had been almost all silver 300 years earlier.

[central_va]

You can see the green oxidation of copper on the coin.

So as the currency debases the empire declines. We are starting with worthless paper so we are screwed from the get go.

[Netizen]

The quote on that image isn’t accurate.

The actual quote is: “The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome fall.”

[Verginius Rufus]

It's interesting that the debasement of the silver coins begins already with the Antonines--Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, considered "Good Emperors." Of course it gets much worse under the Severi and then during the period from 235 to 284 which was marked by frequent civil wars, barbarians invasions, and many short-reigned emperors.

Diocletian tried to stop inflation with his famous Edict of Prices, which had as much impact on prices as Canute's command to the tide not to come in had on the tide.