The ancient denarius seems to have de rived its name from the fact of its contain ing denos-mris or ases, or ten ases, though the weight varied ; during the time of the Commonwealth it was the seventh part of an ounce. In that of Claudius the weight was precisely an attic-drachm; the former equalled eight-pence of our mo. ney, and the Vatter seven-pence, without entering into fractions in either case. Bi gatus and quadrigatus were terms appli ed to the denarius, alluding to the bigm or chariot with two horses impressed lip. on it, and the quadrigx or chariot four horses. Clodius introduced the vie toriatus mentioned before, which was equal in value to the half' of a denarius ; it also bore the name of quinarius, from its containing the value of five ases. The celebrated sestertius, so called from ses quitertius, as consisting of two ases and a half, was half the victoriatus, and a fburth part of the denarius ; exclusive of the above name, it was frequently called nummus and sestertius nummus, the va lue of which, in modern money, was ex tremely small, being little more than one penny. The obulus, or the sixth part of the denarius, was nearly of the same a mount. The libella, the tenth of the de narius, equalled the as, or the supposed pound of copper or brass. The semi-li bella explains itself, and the teruncius, or fortieth part of the denarius, was worth three ounces of the metal just mentioned.
The most remarkable Roman coins of gold were the aurei denarii, which were thus termed probably from their resell'• blance in size, or the similarity of the figures they bore on their surfaces to the denarii. Those coined under the Com monwealth weighed two silver denarii, and were worth seventeen shillings, one penny, and something more than a far thing sterling ; the aureas, made after the change in the government, weighed two drachms, and was equal to no more than fifteen shillings of our money : during the time of the five first Cxsars they continu ed didrachmi ; but the avarice of suc ceeding emperors induced them to re duce their weight considerably, which was restored by Domitian and Aurelian. It was under Philip that aurei of several sizes first appeared, those bear the bust of the genius of Rome on one side, and different objects on their reverses ; the in elegance of the workmanship induces a supposition that they were made far from the seat of the arts. Mr. Pinkerton is in clined to think, the only alteration made in the Roman money by Aurelian was con fined to the gold. At the commencement of the coinage of gold, the aureus was divided into the semissis of sixty sestertii; the tremissis, or third, of forty ; another division of thirty ; and a sixth or scrupu lum of twenty ; all of which were discon tinned, except the semissis or half of the aureus.
There is no part of the study of medals and coins more interesting than that of the class bearing portraits or busts of emi nent persons; of those, the Macedonian are the first so distinguished ; and it has been usual to begin the series with Alexander I., who reigned 500 years before the
Christian era, or 2,308 years past ; as his coin is the most ancient yet discovered. Next to the monarchs of Macedon, follow the kings and queens of Sicily, Carla, Cy prus Heraclia and Pontus ; to which suc ceed the kings of Egypt, Syria, the Cim merian Bosphorus, Thrace, Bythinia, Par thia, Armenia, Damascus, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Pergamus, Galatia, Cilicia, Sparta, Pxonia, Epirus, Illyricum, Gaul, and the Alps, including a period of near ly 330 years, or from the time of Alexan der the Great to the birth of Christ. Ac cording to Pinkerton, " the last series of ancient kings goes down to the fourth century, and includes some of Thrace, the Bosphorus, and Parthia; those of Corn magene, Edossa, or Osrhsene, Mauritania, and Judaea." The above are the series of portraits of kings impressed on medals which have Greek characters; many are extant of eminent men, on coins of Greek origin.
The series of Roman emperors is com plete, from Julius to the destruction of Rome by the Goths ; after the latter pe riod the execution of the heads became very barbarous. The Greek coins, bear ing their kings, generally exhibit them with diadems, and no other ornament ; and they invariably present the profile ; those of Grecian cities of high antiquity, and Roman consular coins, on the contra ry, have specimens of full faces ; and there are instances of others, on which several busts have been introduced, particularly a beautiful gold one of Ptolemy Philadel phus, who introduced the heads of him self and Arsinoe on one side, and those of Ptolemy I. and Berenice, Isis parents, on the other. Two or more heads have been impressed, in some cases grouped and looking the same way, and in others they are placed face to face ; the reverses on those having nothing re markable to distinguish them ; but the most rare and valuable coins contain three heads.
The vitta, or diadem, which resembles a modern riband tied round the head by a graceful knot, with the extremities floating in the air, is the distinctive em blem of a prince throughout the Greek medals ; and it was imitated by some of the Roman magistrates ; but the popular prejudice was so great against this badge of supreme authority, that their empe rors thought proper to wear the radiated crown full 200 years before they ventur ed to resume it. " In the family of Con stantine," says Pinkerton, "the diadem becomes common, though not with the ancient simplicity ; being ornamented on either edge with a row of pearls and va rious other decorations." The crown, composed of branches of laurel, was an emblem of conquest when first adopted, as was the radiated crown a mark of dei fication originally ; but each were after wards assumed on their medals by ambi tious and presumptuous emperors ; in those of the lower empire, a hand is shewn holding the laurel above the head, which disposition of it was considered a mark of piety.