>I think the currency point stands though: value the money our soldiers carry, tax collectors will be along for it shortly, welcome to the Roman Empire.

Well OK but a decimation was no small thing, it was documented to have happened just a few times in Roman recorded history.

I'd hesitate to think they employed such measures just to push the ur-Euro, especially since it doesn't seem like it would be a very effective incentive compared to the utility of the currency itself.

"I fished for a few weeks and got these coins that last forever and are easy to carry and now I can buy a horse at the horse market!"

So the currency decimation thing smells like a myth/exaggeration to me, but I admit it's just a hunch.