The original aurei were 130.1 gra. ; under Pompey the highest reach 1281 grs.; under Augustus they sink to 12P26 grs.; those of Nero have 115.39 grs., and they continued at the same weight under the Empire. Constantine struck 72 to the lb., each weighing 68.5 gm. ; these were worth 12 silver milliarenses, and were divided into semisses, tremisses, and quadrantes.
After the victory of Livius Salinator over Asdrubal, A.v.c. 545=B.°. 269, the Romans issued silver coins weighing about 62 grains, on the model of the attic drachmm. These coins were called denarii, or pieces of ten asses ; argentci, silvers; leigati, having a two-horse chariot or quadrigati with four. They are about the size of a sixpence, but thicker, and are the Roman Franc. Foreign silver draclance were in circulation at Rome previous to their issue. A long succession of these silver pieces consisting of some thousand varieties from this period to the age of Gallienus, form the Roman silver, divided into Con. sular, or those struck under the Republic, and Imperial, or those from the time of Augustus. The earliest denarii having on one Bide the head of Rome, and on the other the Dioscuri, can be traced to B.C. 224, and 219. The earlier denarii have X or XVI. (16 asses) stamped behind them for their value, and ROMA on the reverse ; the quin arius or piece of 5 asses about the size of a silver fourpence, has V. behind the head of Mars, and ou the reverse a Victory, the sestert ma of the size of a silver penny has HS. behind the head. These pieces and marks were discontinued about the first cent. B.C. The tradition that Servius Tullius struck silver money at Rome [Varro in Chariso lib. I.] deserves no attention. The tribune Livius Drusus, sanctioned the alloy of of copper, and Antony allowed iron, but the debasement of the currency was restrained by the Gratidian Edict and the Carnelian Law. The denarii however continued tolerably pure till the time of Severue, although a slight corruption commenced with Didius Julian ; their mean weight is 60 grs. Under Nero 7 denarii were coined from the Roman ounce of silver, later 8, and even more ; denarii equal to 1 of the usual size and weight, or six sesterces, and called argentei, were struck by Caracalla, of a debased silver besides the usual size, the silver being half debased. Alexander Severus who reduced the taxation by one third, debased the silver in the same proportion by j of its purity, but at the time of Valerian and Gallienus a national bankruptcy ensued, the denarii were debased to billon, of silver, the brass ses terces and dupondii, nummi incoctiles, 1st and 2nd brass were sup pressed. Aurelian made 525 of these base pieces equal to the aureus, by issuing a denarius of account equal to 20 or 21 of them, and marked xx-xxi--xxxv. From Claudius Gothicus to Diocletian, the denarii were of brass washed with silver the nummi tincti, and the successors of Constantine to prevent forgery of the public money made the denarii thinner and of larger size. Diocletian issued silver pieces of 48 grs.,
the cententionales or `hundreds' marked xcvi, to show the proportion of alloy, 4 per cent. in the lb. of silver, with the denarius of 62 grs. Constantine added to the silver currency the miliarenses, or rniliarisia, of 84 grs., 12 to the solidus, and the siliquce, or keratia, of 42 grs.; but 5 different denominations of his coins are known from their weight, and the confusion of the monetary system after and about his time baffles research. At the close of the Lower Empire they became very thin concave pieces of metal, the nummi scyphati, and the whole system of currency was altered.
The earliest Roman coins were of brass, ces, and heavy pieces cos grave. But there is great diserepimey about the time when it was introduced. Saturnus is said to have introduced it, and divided the solidus or pound into the semis or half pound. At the time of Servius Tullus, brass went by weight at Rome. (Timwus, in Plin, xxiii. c. 3.) Numa issued leather money scortei. Menenius Agrippa is said to have been buried by a subscription of sextantes, and the people subscribed quadrantes or farthings for P. Valerius. But the brass coinage of the Romans appears to have been derived from the Etruscan currency, and cannot be earlier than 353 B.C. The oldest currency was cast, not struck, and said to be impressed with an ox or sheep. (Varro, I. Vit. Pop. Re Rust,' lib. 2.) The following pieces have been found of the early series :—a decussis, having the head of Pallas, reverse a ship, weighing 38 Roman ounces ; the quincussis impressed with two dolphins and two tridents, reverse, two chickens and two stars= 4 lb. 8 oz. Roman ; a quadrussis, on each eide an ox, of 5 lb. 6 oz , and 4 lb. 3, oz. ; a tripondios of 3 asses marked III. head of Pallas, reverse a ship, for au as of 3 ozs., head of Pallas and eword. The types of the rest of the currency are quite uniform, the as has the head of the double Janus, the semis, the letter S. head of Jupiter, the trim (4 ounces) head of Pallas ; the quaclrans or farthing (3 ounces) head of Hercules ; the se.rtans : (2 ounces), head of Mercury, the ounce • head of Pallas, all have on the reverse the prow of a ship, alluding to the arrival of Janus or Saturn in Italy, and boys instead of crying heads or tails when they tossed for money cried heads or ships. Ases of 11 lb. 5 oz. exist, many of 3 and 4 ozs. showing that the reduction was gradual : after the 1st Punic war the as was reduced by the Lex Papiria to 1 oz., and to oz. from the time of Sylla to Pompey. (Cohen, Deser. gen. domnn. de la Rep. Rom.,' 4to. Paris, 1857.) At the commencement of the Empire the names of the triumviri monetales were stamped on the coins ; the as, the second brass coin, was struck of copper, the sestertius au first brass coin was • struck of the Spanish orichalcum, and at the time of the Flavii the us flavum was of copper mixed with brass ; the third brass coin, the quadrans, copper ; the earlier bronze coin are alloyed with zinc, and lead was not introduced till the time of Severus.