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This link has been added due to popular demand -- since there are lots of words on our site that may not be known to people unfamiliar with ancient coins. I hope this glossary helps; if there are still unfamiliar words or other terminology anywhere in our website, please email us at "trolhaus@vtlink.net and this page will be updated. Thanks for your feedback; it lets us know what changes can be made to make this site more comprehensive for everyone!

AE:
Used to indicate a bronze coin; used in describing ancient coins made from copper, bronze, or orichalcum (Roman type of brass, yellowish in colour)

AE1 thru AE4:
Like wire gauges, the smaller the number, the larger the coin...

AE1 = 25+ mm diameter; AE2 = 21-25 mm; AE3 = 17-21 mm; AE4 = less than 17 mm.

These terms are used because the proper names for the minor bronzes are not historically documented from the time of Constantine I (The Great) - c.308-337 AD - thru the East/West split of the Empire (476 AD). Also, since the coins grew smaller and smaller during this time, the terms are a good measure of currency debasement and imperial degeneration in general...

AE with larger numbers after the "AE" (e.g. AE18, AE26):
For ancient coins designated as AE17, AE23, and AE26, for example, the number indicates the approximate diameter of the coin in millimeters. (you didn't expect it to make SENSE, now, did you?)

Antoninianus (pl: antoniniani):
AE (bronze) antoniniani were about the size of AE3s, but issued earlier... from the time of Gallienus (253-268 AD) until Maximianus (about 309 AD). Antoniniani had their debut in 214 AD under Caracalla (198-217 AD), not long after Caracalla had his brother Geta (209-212 AD) murdered. At that time, antoniniani were made of silver, and had a face value of two denarii, although they only had a weight equivalent to 1 1/2 denarii. The beginning of yet another cycle of currency debasement. Less than forty years after the antoninianus's debut, it had gone from being a silver coin to a bronze coin with a thin silver plating.

AR:
From Latin argentum (silver); indicates a silver coin (e.g. AR denarius, AR antoninianus).

As (pl. ases or asses):
The earliest coins issued in what is now central Italy were cast bronze pieces known as "Aes Grave" weighing about 320 grams (about 3/4 of a pound), first issued around 289 BC. These coins were round in shape, had a two-faced Janus head on one side, and a ship's prow on the other. Prior to this time, there were bronze "coins" per se, known as "Aes Rude", but these were essentially irregular lumps of bronze that may have served more of a bullion purpose.

Over the next 75 years, the Aes Grave was constantly being reduced in weight, declining to 200 grams, then to 140 grams, until by 211 BC or so the cast Aes Grave were replaced by smaller, lighter, STRUCK Ases (or Asses). The struck pieces were similar in design to the earlier pieces in that they retained the Janus head/ship's prow design, but they weighed significantly less - between 25 and 40 grams. In 211 BC, ten Ases equaled one denarius; by 141 BC this was changed to a 16 to one ratio.

The Janiform head/ship's prow design remained more or less constant (save for the increasing use of emperors' names as the Republican period progressed) until shortly after Julius Caesar's death in 44 BC. Mark Antony was one of the first people to have his image on an As; subsequent rulers from Augustus Caesar (27 BC - 14 AD) were more or less regularly portrayed on Ases, which by the time of Augustus were coins weighing between (on average) 9 and 12 grams. During the early first century, an As would purchase a loaf of bread; a denarius (valued at 16 to 20 Ases) was equal to a soldier's daily salary. (Click to see an image containing an as of Caligula, 37-41 AD)

Ases from the first, second, and early third centuries are relatively easy to find; Ases from the late third century (the time period which saw the denomination's downfall) can be fairly scarce for most emperors after Gallienus (253 - 268 AD). From the time Caracalla introduced the antoninianus (double denarius) in 214 AD or thereabouts, the use of the As declined as the new denomination took hold (although using the phrase "taking hold" is almost a bad joke; the antoninianus was totally debased from being a silver coin to being a bronze coin with a thin silver coating in the short space of about 40 years).

Diocletian (284 - 305 AD) finally replaced the As with a new bronze denomination, the follis, in 294 or 295 AD.

AV (or AU):
From Latin aurum (gold); indicates a gold coin (e.g. AV solidus)

Aureus (pl: aurei):
A gold coin.

Billon:
A low-grade silver alloy, which might contain less than 5 percent silver. During periods of currency debasement, good silver coins were often replaced with coins of low grade silver (perhaps 20 to 40 percent silver), and then billon, before the silver was removed entirely. The antoniniani of the 3rd Century and tetradrachms of Roman Imperial Egypt are two good examples of good currency gone bad, taking a trip down the billon path of ultimate debasement.

COS:
Consulship. Found on the inscriptions of many coins of the Imperial Period.

Denarius (pl: denarii):
The basic unit of exchange in ancient Rome, from about 210 BC until about 250 AD. The denarius was a silver coin, of which the weight and fineness varied somewhat depending on which emperor was presiding over the affairs of the Imperial treasury. However, in very general terms, the denarius can be thought of as a silver coin about the same diameter as, and about 50% thicker than, a silver U.S. dime from before 1965. For the majority of the Imperial Period, a denarius had the same value as 16 ases. To put this into terms of purchasing power, a denarius would, during the second century AD, buy 10 large loaves of bread. (Click to see an image)

Dupondius (pl: dupondii):
A bronze or orichalcum coin, valued at two ases, half a sestertius, or 1/8 denarius. Dupondii minted from the first century and thereafter can be identified by the yellowish-golden colour of orichalcum, and also by the fact that

Follis (pl. folles):
A bronze or billon coin first issued under the reign of Diocletian.

Orichalcum:
A yellowish brass, used in the coinage of dupondii, sestertii, and semis.

Quadriga:
A chariot being pulled by a team of four animals (usually horses).

SC:
Senatus Consulto, literally "by decree of the Senate." Found on the reverses of copper and bronze coins from up until about 250 AD or so. The Senate had nominal control over all copper and bronze coinage, whereas the emperor had authority over all silver and gold coinage.

Sestertius (pl: sestertii):
The largest regular-issue coin of the Imperial period. Usually made of orichalcum, but sometimes made of bronze. (Click to see an image)

Solidus (pl: solidi):
A gold coin which was first struck under Constantine The Great around 310 AD. The solidus weighed 1/72 of the Roman pound. (Its precursor, the aureus, weighed slightly more, or 1/60 of the Roman pound.) Coinage of gold solidi continued well into the Byzantine empire.

TR P:
Tribunicia Potestate = the tribunican power.

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