AS: COIN OF ROMAN EMPIRE
As, 41-54: Roman Empire
Ruler: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus — the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy.
S C (Senatus Consultum – "Decision of the Senate") within a wreath: a mark that was indicated on cheap copper/bronze coins to confirm that their value corresponds to the specified denomination (by special decree of the Senate).
IMP TI CLA CAE AV GER (Imperator Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus): Emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (legend completely lost/obliterated).
Portrait of the Emperor (in a laurel wreath).
Mint of Seleucia Pieria (part of the Syrian Tetrapolis: the port of Antioch; modern Turkey).
- Bronze: 27 mm - 15.44 g
- Reference price: 13.5$
COIN AS — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- ANCIENT ROME (3rd century BC — 3rd century AD) — ROMAN REPUBLIC + ROMAN EMPIRE + ROMAN PROVINCES: as = 1/2 dupondius = 1/4 sestertius = 1/5 quinarius = 1/10 denarius
AS as coin name.
As — the basic bronze coin of the monetary system of Ancient Rome. It was issued by the Roman Kingdom (in the form of a proto-currency Aes Rude), the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.
Since ancient times, the Romans (and not only) used bronze in commodity-money relations. Initially, these were bronze ingots of all kinds of irregular shapes and sizes. Over time, during the reign of the sixth king of ancient Rome (middle of the 6th century BC) Servius Tullius, they were standardized: they became rectangular, received a fixed weight (over 1 kg), began to contain a stamp in the shape of a bull (as a symbol of the equality of their the value to the price of the animal). Such a protocoin was called Aes Signatum (bronze with stamp).
The money sign turned out to be too inconvenient to use, bulky... So it was logical that already in the 4th century BC appeared a significantly more convenient option for calculations — the first Roman round coin weighing "only" 327.45 grams (a pound of bronze). It was decorated with a portrait of the god Janus. The idea of stopping at a round shape and a plot with portraits of the gods was most likely borrowed from the ancient Greeks. The coin was called Aes Grave (heavy bronze).
Later, during the Empire, the coin began to be decorated with portraits of emperors in the image of gods.
Over time, the coin evolved, became much lighter... Fractional units appeared: 1/12 as — uncia, 1/6 as — sextans, 1/4 as — quadrans, 1/3 as — triens, 1/2 as — semis. In turn, 10 bronze aces were 1 silver denarius, 5 aces — quinarius, 4 aces — sestertius, 2 aces – dupondius.
The name of the as coin comes from the ancient Latin terms "Aes Signatum" (stamped bronze) or "Aes Grave" (heavy bronze) /in Latin "Aes" — "bronze"/. At first, such phrases were used in monetary circulation. Over time, when bronze ingots (aes signatum) and unprecedentedly large bronze coins (aes grave) were replaced by round coins of the usual size, the short name — as — remained in use.
