Aes signatum
Encyclopedia
Aes signatum consisted of cast lumps of bronze
of measured quality and weight, embossed with a government stamp, used as currency
in Rome
and central Italy before the introduction of the aes grave
in the mid 4th century BC. When exactly they were first made is uncertain. Popular tradition ascribes them to Servius Tullius
, but due to the high quality of art found on even the earliest specimens, this seems very unlikely. A date in the midst of the 5th century BC is generally agreed on. Designs featured are that of a bull, an eagle, and other religious symbols.
The earliest aes signatum bars were not cast in Rome proper, but in central Italy, Etruria, Umbria, and Reggio Emilia. They bore the image of a branch with side branches radiating from it, and were called Ramo Secco (dry branch). They did not equate to a set weight standard, varying from about 600 grams to 2500 grams when complete. They were usually broken into subdivisions, and there are very few complete specimens surviving today. The surviving ramo secco bars are usually quarter, half or three quarter bars, or minor smaller pieces which could be classified as aes rudes. The same fragmentation into smaller change applies to later aes signatums issued by the city of Rome, which did correspond to the Roman heavy standard for the AS. They weighed approximately 5 AS when whole. They could technically be termed a quincussis, although they are not marked with any value.
The Roman aes signatums conform more strictly to size and weight standards because they are an official issue, where the ramo secco bars were more of a recognizable item of barter exchange that would be weighed, rather than taken at a face value. Ramo seccos were not issued by governing bodies, and could have been made at any foundry facility.
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
of measured quality and weight, embossed with a government stamp, used as currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and central Italy before the introduction of the aes grave
Aes grave
Aes grave is a term in numismatics indicating bronze cast coins used in central Italy during the 4th and 5th centuries BC, whose value was generally indicated by signs: I for the as, S for semis and pellets for unciae...
in the mid 4th century BC. When exactly they were first made is uncertain. Popular tradition ascribes them to Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of ancient Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned 578-535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome's first Etruscan king, who was assassinated in 579 BC...
, but due to the high quality of art found on even the earliest specimens, this seems very unlikely. A date in the midst of the 5th century BC is generally agreed on. Designs featured are that of a bull, an eagle, and other religious symbols.
The earliest aes signatum bars were not cast in Rome proper, but in central Italy, Etruria, Umbria, and Reggio Emilia. They bore the image of a branch with side branches radiating from it, and were called Ramo Secco (dry branch). They did not equate to a set weight standard, varying from about 600 grams to 2500 grams when complete. They were usually broken into subdivisions, and there are very few complete specimens surviving today. The surviving ramo secco bars are usually quarter, half or three quarter bars, or minor smaller pieces which could be classified as aes rudes. The same fragmentation into smaller change applies to later aes signatums issued by the city of Rome, which did correspond to the Roman heavy standard for the AS. They weighed approximately 5 AS when whole. They could technically be termed a quincussis, although they are not marked with any value.
The Roman aes signatums conform more strictly to size and weight standards because they are an official issue, where the ramo secco bars were more of a recognizable item of barter exchange that would be weighed, rather than taken at a face value. Ramo seccos were not issued by governing bodies, and could have been made at any foundry facility.