The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

.APPENDIX.Roman libra or pondus, but was afterwards reduced at different times, tillat last it came to one twenty -fourth of a pound, and was called I i bell a.It was divided into twelve equal parts called Uncice, every number ofwhich had a distinct name, as follows :Unc ia.12T^ or ^ Semis, sembella.T 9 or |- Dodrans.212 or 6" Sextans,\ § or |- Dex tans.T2 or 4 Q ua drans. T 7 Septunx.2ft Deunx.T2 or i Triens. Tr^ens T 8 2 or §• Bes, or bessis.5Quincunx.T2~906.—After the use of silver money, accounts were kept in Sesterces(Sestertii). This coin emphatically called nummus (money), was originallyequal to 2J- asses, as the name sestertius means. Its symbol was L. L. S.,i. e. Libra Libra Semis, or the numeral letters, thus, IIS, or with a lineacross HS. Other coins were multiples of this ; thus, the denarius wasequal to 4 sesterces, or 10 asses, and the aureus, a gold coin, was equal to25 denarii, or 100 sestertii. When the as was reduced in weight after A.U. C. 536, the sestertius was worth 4 asses, and the denarius, 16.907.—A thousand sestertii was called sestertium (not a coin but thename of a sum), and was indicated by the mark ns. This word was neverused in the singular ; and any sum less than 2000 sesterces was calledso many sestertii; 2000 was called duo or blna sestertia ; 10,000, denasestertia ; 20,000, vicena sestertia, &c, up to a million of sesterces ; whichwas written decies centena millia sestertidrum, or nummdrum, ten times ahundred thousand sesterces. This was commonly abbreviated into deciessestertium, or decies minimum, in which expressions centena millia, or centiesmillia is always understood.908.—The following table will show the value of the Roman as, infederal money, both before, and after, the Punic war, and of the largercoins at all times.1. Table of Roman Money.Before. A. U. After A. U536. 536.D. cts. m. D. cts. m.Teruncius or 3 Uncice, . . . 3.8 . 242 Teruncii 1 Sembella, . . 1.1 4.82 Sembella = 1 As, 1 5.4 9.6Before 536-2iAfter -4 > Asses, = 1 Sestertius, . 3 8.6 3 8.62 Sestertii — 1 Quinarius, orVictoriatus, 1 7.3 1 7.32 Quinarii == 1 Denarii, . . . 15 4.7 15 4.725 Denarii = 1 Aureus, or Solidus,. . . 3 86 8.4 s 86 8.4.10 Aurei = 1 Sestertium, 38 68 4.6 3S 68 4.6