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Roman Silver Coins

Silver was first coined in the year of the city 484, five years before the first Punic war; the impressions upon which were usually, on one side, carriages drawn by two or four beasts, and on the reverse, the head of Roma, with a helmet. of dividing time into weeks was introduced Romans divided their months into three parts, by Calends, Nones, and Ides. The 1st day was called the Calends, the 5th day the Nones, and the 13th the Ides; except in March, May, July, and October, when the Nones fell on the 7th, and the Ides on the 15th. The custom under the Emperors, being derived from the On some were stamped the figure of Victory.

The coins of silver were the Sestertius, Quin- Egyptians; and the days of the week were arius, Denarius, and Centussis. Sestertius, marked L.L.S. for libra libra semis, or by abbreviation H. S., worth 2+ Asses, or, in our money, 3 cents; Quinarius, marked V, worth 5 Asses, 71 cents; Denarius, marked X, worth 10 Asses, 15½ cents; Centussis, worth 10 Denarii, nearly $1.60. $6060. Roman Gold Coins. Gold coin was first struck in the year of the city 546, in the second Punic war, and called Aureus. The stamps upon it were chiefly the images of the Emperors. The Aureus, at first, was equal in value to 25 Denarii, or 100 Sestertii; or, in our money, to $3.98. Soon afterwards it was debased, and under the later Emperors was named from the planets, viz.: Dies Solis, Sunday; Lunæ, Monday; Martis, Tuesday; Mercurii, Wednesday; Jovis, Thursday; Veneris, Friday; Saturni, Saturday. In marking the days, they counted backwards; thus they called the last day of December, Pridie Calendas Januarii, or the day before the Calends of January; the 30th day they called the third day before the Calends of January; and so on through the year. In leap-year the 24th and 25th days of February were both called the 6th day before the Calends of March, and hence this year is called Bissextilis. The day, as with us, was divided into 12 hours, and lasted from six o'clock in the morning till six in the worth only $3.70. Accounts were kept in evening. The night was divided into four Sestertii and Sestertia. The Sestertium was watches, each consisting of three hours. The not a coin, but a shorter expression of 1000 Romans had no clocks or watches, and the Sestertii, or, in our money, about $40. We first dial is said to have been erected in Rome find also mentioned the Libra, containing 12 so late as 447 years after the building of the ounces of silver, worth $15, and the Talentum, city. worth about $965. Besides the ordinary 6065. Scriptural Measure of Length. coins, there were various medals struck to commemorate important events, properly A Finger... called Medallions; for what we commonly A Hand breadth. term Roman medals were their current money. A Span.. M. Yds. Ft. In. B.C. 0 0 2

0 0 0 3 11

0 0 0 10 2