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2.OutlinehistoryofRomanRepublicancoinage
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senseinintroducingthereadertothecomplicatedsubjectofthebeginningsofthe
Romancoinageinwhichmanydetailsarestillthesubjectofdispute.Itisenoughto
recallthatuntiltheonsetofthethirdcenturyBC,themaincurrencyintheRoman
Republicwereunworkedlumpsofbronze(aesrude)althoughthefirst,isolated
issuesofGreek-stylebronzecoinsstruckinsouthernItalydatetoaslightlyearlier
period,after326BC.Sinceapproximately280BC,castbronzebarsbearingon
eachsidearecognizabletype(aessignatum)andcastbronzecoins(aesgrave)started
tobeissuedinRome.Presumablyduringthesameperiod,insouthernItalyand
soonafterthatalsoinRome,Greek-stylecoins(so-calledRomano-Campanian
coinage)werealsostruckinsilver(didrachms)andbronze.Theaesgraveseries
includedtheas,withamarkofitsvalueKI”,intheory,theweightofoneRoman
pound(ca.324g),multiplesoftheas(tressis–3asses,dupondius–2asses,and
exceptionally,alsohigherdenominations),anditsfractions(theprincipalbeing
thesemis–1/2ofanas,thetriens–1/3ofanas,thequadrans–1/4ofanas,the
sextans–1/6ofanas,theuncia–1/12ofanasandthesemuncia–1/24ofanas).
ThedenominationalmarkofthesemiswasKS”,theunciawasmarkedwithone
pellet,thetriens,thequandransandthesextansfeaturedthenumberofpellets
correspondingtotheirvalueinunciae(triens–fourpellets,quadrans–three
pellets,sextans–twopellets).ThenameforthepoundinLatinislibrahencethe
weightstandardoftheseissuesisreferredtoalibral.Theroleofsmallerbronze
denominationswaspresumablyplayedbyGreek-stylestruckcoins.Thissituation
wassustainedingeneraluntilthebeginningoftheSecondPunicWar(218-201
BC)exceptthataessignatumceasedtobeissuedsomewhatearlier,inthe240sBC.
Years225-217BCbringthelastissueofaesgravewiththeportraitofadeityon
theobverseandaship’sprowonthereverse.Theprowseriesofaesgravewere
issuedapproximatelyparalleltothefinaldidrachmissues.Thesedidrachms,with
aweightofca.6.75g,issuedenmassein225-214BCarecommonlyreferredto
asquadrigatibecausetheirreversedesignisJupiterinaquadriga.
Themonetarysystembasedonthequadrigatusandaesgravefounderedin
theearlyyearsoftheSecondPunicWar.This,presumably,wasduetotheheavy
financialburdenentailedbytheinvolvementoftheRomanRepublicinthisconflict.
Morereductionsweremadeintheweightofthebronzecoins;atthesametime,the
debasementofthequadrigatustookplace.Thisisalsothetimeoftheintroduction
ofthefirstRomancoinsstruckingold,thestaterandthehalf-stater.Around211
BCanewsystemtookform,basedonanewsilvercoin,thedenarius,andalso,
onthebronzeas,nowreducedto1/6ofapound(sextanalweightstandard).This
systemwouldbesustainedinitsgeneralformuntiltheendoftheRepublican
periodandcarryoverintothefirstthreecenturiesoftheEmpire.Struckinvery
goodqualitysilver,thedenarius(literallyKcontainingten”),weighingatfirstca.4.5
gbutsoonreducedtoalittleover4g,hadavalueof10asses;thiswasindicated
byprovidingthecoinswithadenominationalmark–KX”.Theweightofbronze
coinsalsowasgraduallyreduced.Around140BC,thevalueoftheaswasofficially
loweredto1/16ofadenarius;thischangewasindicatedonthedenariusitself,with
