VICTORINUS (269-271)

"Economic Crisis" In 270 CE, the Roman Empire experienced a severe economic crisis due to usurpations, the fragmentation of the empire, invasions, and the plundering of villages and cities. Agricultural and industrial production declined significantly, and mines remained underutilized. In some regions of the empire, inflation reached as high as 1000%.

The emperors imposed enormous fiscal burdens on the population and attempted to address treasury shortages through "coin debasement," releasing currency with a high proportion of base metals instead of precious ones. This debasement led to hyperinflation, which the government attempted to control with command-economy measures. As a result, the imperial economy regressed to a barter system.