Editing Roman Republican currency (section)

=== As introduced ===
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header =
| image = File:ArSestertiusDioscuri.jpg
| caption_left = '''[[Obverse and reverse|O:]]''' Head Roma Right. IIS
| caption_right = '''[[Obverse and reverse|R:]]''' Caped Dioscuri riding right with couched lances, stars above.
| width = 300
| footer = Sestertius, Anonymous, Rome, 211 BC. RRC 44/7
| position = left
| margin = 4
}}
The [[denarius]], which became the main silver coin of Rome for over four centuries, was introduced in 211 BC or a few years earlier, and produced in enormous quantity from the silver captured in the sack of Syracuse. The denarius (RRC 44/5), valued at 10 ''asses'' as indicated by the mark '''X''' and weighing about 4.5&nbsp;grams (72 to a Roman pound), was introduced as part of a complex multi-metallic coinage. Also in silver was the half denarius, the [[quinarius]] (RRC 44/6, marked '''V'''), and the quarter denarius, the [[sestertius]] (RRC 44/7, marked '''IIS''' and shown on the left), all bearing a head of Roma on the obverse and a reverse of the [[dioscuri]] riding with their capes behind (a reference to their supposed assistance to Rome at the battle of [[Lake Regillus]]).

Bronze ''asses'' and their fractions (all now struck rather than cast) continued to be produced to a standard of about 55&nbsp;grams; this was very quickly reduced to a sextantal standard and finally an uncial standard of roughly 32 gms. By this time, ''asses'' outnumbered their fractions, perhaps because legionary pay was increased to the point where the ''as'' could become the principal component.<ref>Crawford 1985:60</ref>

In gold, there were three pieces worth 60 ''asses'' (RRC 44/2, marked '''ↆX'''), 40 ''asses'' (RRC 44/3, marked '''XXXX''') and 20 ''asses'' (RRC 44/4, marked '''XX'''). All featured a head of Mars on the obverse and an eagle with outspread wings standing on a thunderbolt on the reverse.<ref>Crawford 1974:154</ref>  The eagle is somewhat reminiscent of the eagle that had consistently been a symbol on Ptolemaic coinage since the very beginning of the century, and it has been suggested that [[Ptolemy IV Philopator]] may have provided gold for this issue to act as a counterweight to the involvement of [[Philip V of Macedon]] on the side of [[Carthage]].<ref>Meadows 1998</ref>

The [[victoriatus]], another silver coin (RRC 44/1), was also introduced in large quantity at the same time. It seems to have been quite separate from the denarius system proper as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has shown that these were produced to an entirely different standard of fineness. While an analysis of 52 early denarii, quinarii, and sestertii showed a silver concentration of 96.2 ± 1.09%, 19 victoriati from the same period have highly variable fineness ranging from 72 to 93%.<ref>Walker 1980</ref> Early finds of victoriati are primarily in Southern Italy and Sicily and it is thought that the victoriati with a weight of 3/4 of a denarius were used to pay non-citizens with experience of the Greek coinage system in the drachma format to which they were accustomed, but with debased/overvalued coins. The quadrigatus didrachm, which had been retariffed to 15 ''asses'' (1.5 denarii), was removed from circulation almost immediately.