The Numismatic Chronicle 171 Offprint - Royal Numismatic Society

ROMAN REPUBLICAN STAR BRONZES, RRC 113 AND 196 103
3. Wales meet in a short rostrum tridens which projects, if at all, only a bit past
the hull.
4. The A in ROM_ is open, i.e. the bar of the A is angled and is connected to only
one of the two vertical supports of the letter .
Fig. 7: Period 1 triens Fig. 8: Period 1 quadrans
Omitted from this picture are the many poorer-style, lighter-weight quadrantes
(Figs 12, 13 below) which so many experts have mentioned, and which have caused
all the star-before fractions to be wrongly associated with Period 2 rather than
Period 1.
5. Features of fractional star-above bronzes – to be reclassifi ed with RRC 196
Having established the Period 1 and 2 characteristics from the star asses and semisses,
and noted that these agree with other contemporary bronze issues, e.g. Rostrum
Tridens (RRC 114) for Period 1 and AT (RRC 192) for Period 2, let us now look at
the lower fractions. Supposedly associated with Period 1, the triens, quadrans and
sextans tell a different story. Examining fi rst the reverse style, we see the following
(Figs 9, 10, 11, below):
1. The prow-stem is short, fat and curved.
2. The lower wale is always equidistant from the upper wale and the keel, even
when this distance diminishes over the length of the keel.
3. Wales do not meet but form a long rostrum tridens, projecting well past the
hull.
4. The A in ROMA is closed, i.e. the bar in the A is horizontal and connected to
both the vertical supports of the letter.
Although classifi ed by Crawford as Period 1, the star-above triens, quadrans and
sextans differ consistently from Period 1 style, and exhibit the characteristics of
Period 2. Clearly they must be associated with RRC 196 rather than with RRC 113,
in correction of the view of d’Ailly and Crawford.
Fig. 9: Period 2 triens Fig. 10: Period 2 quadrans Fig. 11: Period 2 sextans