Roman coins
Roman Republican coinage – Bronze coins
Apr
Until 400 BC. BC, the Romans often practiced barter based on the “head of cattle”, while knowing the Greek currencies.
They then begin to set up a system based on bronze ingots, the Aes rude (raw ore), which have neither fixed weight, nor defined shape, nor the marking which defines a currency. The first marks represent livestock – where the first initial is found – or weapons. At the beginning of the 3rd century, the bronze pellets had a more regular shape and, if the pods remained ordinary, at least they were marked (Aes signatum).
AES RUDE – AES SIGNATUM : the origin of the roman monetary system
Among the inhabitants of Italy, cattle were the basis of the first commercial transactions. Subsequently, agriculture developed and the sedentary lifestyle of farmers replaced the nomadic lifestyle of animal breeders.
At the same time, the development of agricultural tools created an increasing need for metal. Exchanges of livestock were replaced by exchanges of everyday objects. Plowing tools, made of copper and iron, were objects of transaction. Metals intended for domestic use or agriculture became valuable.
AES RUDE
A find from 1828 near Vulci is very interesting for monetary history. Near the Badia bridge, in an ancient construction 1m25 from ground level, we found an earthenware vase containing bronze elements of three different types:
-Rectangles (Aes signatum) partly broken with various imprints (Ox, trident). We notice that the type engraved on these rectangles is either the same on both sides or different. We also notice that there is no representation of a ship’s bow (official emblem of the copper currency of the Roman Republic).
-Pieces of copper cast in the shape of a cube (Aes Rude), without imprint or mark of value
-Flattened elliptical discs
AES RUDE (Thurlow, B. & I. Vecchi. Italian Cast Coinage. (Dorchester, 1979).
AES SIGNATUM
the Aes Rude (castes metal cube) and the Aes Signatum (metal rectangle castes with graphics on both sides) circulated at the same time as exchange value. Indeed, the Aes Rude was to be taken for its intrinsic value (metal weight) and used to make tools, while having monetary value in transactions.
On the other hand, the image of the ox which is found on most of the Aes Signatum found in this treasure confirms that these pieces of metal were used as currency, perhaps replacing certain animal exchanges in transactions. The representation of the ox on this type of Aes Signatum is consistent with Roman history according to which Servius Tullius, ancient king of Rome, was the first to mark bronze by representing an ox, a sheep or a pig (Sex. Aurel. Victor. De viris illustribvs vrbis Romae).
AES SIGNATUM (British Museum)
For most researchers and archaeologists, the Aes Signatum constitutes a currency produced under the government supervision and under its orders. The legend ROMANOM (on an Aes Signatuml) inscribed on these ingots, supports this assertion.
We note variations in weight of 1386 g to 1790 g for these ingots.
AS GRAVE – Libral series
The coinage was based on the libral standard where the As referred to a coin and the weight. One As equaled one Roman pound (or twelve uncia (ounces)).
The As weighed one Roman pound (libra) with fractions in units of Roman ounces (unciae), with 12 unciae in a libra. The “uncia” was thus also both a weight and a coin of the same weigh
The Latin pound, or libra, was roughly equal to 329 modern grams.
An As, the base denomination of these bronze coins, was equal to 12 roman ounces or one libra. As a duodecimal system, there are seven fractional denominations, with the smallest, the semuncia, weighing 1/24th of an As.
There are 8 different series of effigies produced alongside or prior to the official bronze series. liberal on the reverse at the bow.
1-Heavy Janus/Mercury series
2-Apollo/Apollo heavy series
3-Dioscurus/Apollo series
4-Series at the wheel
5-Roma/Roma Series
6-Janus/Mercury light series
7-Apollo/Apollo Light Series
8-Roma/Roma series with symbol
AES As Grave (Janus/mercury) , 260 grams
Until approximately 270 BCE, the Libral standard weighed the aforementioned 12 roman ounces (329g). By 270 BCE, the Romans had shifted to a Light or “reduced” Libral standard, weighing an average of 10 Roman ounces (270 grams). the light libral standard will last until 217 BC
Subsequent series always have a ship’s bow on the reverse (225-217 BC)
“Semi-libral” standard, triental standard, sextantal standard.
It is the Semi-libral system which gives way to the old system libral then will come the Triental System (with an equivalent to 4 ounces) that coincides to the appearance of the first Silver currency.
Why this weight reduction? No doubt to cover the cost of the Punic wars, the reduction of the As was done in a progressive manner without obeying a law.
The first reduction in the weight of the module is obvious to see because it is more than half and seems be an intentional measure and not the result of a gradual drop in weight.
AS Semi-Libral theoretical weight : 162 grams
The AS goes from 12 to 6 ounces in the semi-liberal system gradually to arrive at a legislative reduction of 4 ounces (hence the name triental As, a third of the initial weight of 12 ounces).
Furthermore,Rome began to use hammer strikes for the divisions of the As, a method borrowed from Greek coinage: the Sextans and the Uncia are almost always struck and bear the reverse legend ROMA. On the other hand, the others modules are still casted and anepigraphed.
Bronze Sextans
Triental monetary system :
As : 109,15 g.
Semis (1/2 As) : 54,58 g.
Triens (1/3 As) : 36.38 g.
Quadrans (1/4 As) : 27,79 g.
Sextans (1/6 As) . 18,19 g.
Uncia (1/12 As) : 9,90 g.
Alterations in the weight of modules continued to occur in Roman coinage, especially as the As was no longer the monetary standard, this currency no longer having the intrinsic value of the beginning of coinage. From 4 unciae, the As gradually falls to 3 unciae (quadrental system), then 2 unciae (sextantal system) and finally to the weight of one uncia (uncial system) equivalent to 1/16th of a denier. The sextanary reduction seems correspond to the appearance of the first silver coin in Rome around 211 BC.
The uncial standard system :
As : 27,29 g.
Semis 13,50 g.
Triens : 9 g.
Quadrans : 6,75 g.
Sextans : 4,50 g.
Uncia : 2,25 g.
A bronze Triens (after 211 BC)
In the uncial system, it is very rare to find casted coins because minting becomes the only method of bronze emission (on cast blanks).
The legend ROMA appears on the reverse under the bow of the galley and on all modules in the series. But the As is depreciated and the rome mint stop issuing bronze coins between 154 and 104 BC; only the subdivisions of the As are known during this period.
