Aes grave (heavy bronze) 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. Standard weights for the as were 272, 327, or 341 grams, depending upon the issuing authority.
The main Roman cast coins had these marks and images:
| Image | value | mark |
|---|---|---|
| Ianus | As | I |
| Iupiter | Semis | S |
| Minerva | Triens | four pellets |
| Hercules | Quadrans | three pellets |
| Mercury | Sextans | two pellets |
| Bellona or Roma | Uncia | one pellet |
Read more about Aes Grave: Issuing Cities, Gallery
Famous quotes containing the word grave:
“How we shall earn our bread is a grave question; yet it is a sweet and inviting question. Let us not shirk it, as is usually done. It is the most important and practical question which is put to man. Let us not answer it hastily. Let us not be content to get our bread in some gross, careless, and hasty manner. Some men go a-hunting, some a-fishing, some a-gaming, some to war; but none have so pleasant a time as they who in earnest seek to earn their bread.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)