Dupondius

Dupondius
0201trajan.jpg

The dupondius (Latin two-pounder) was a brass coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic valued at 2 asses (1/2 of a sestertius or 1/8 of a denarius).

The dupondius was introduced during the Roman Republic as a large cast coin, although even at introduction it weighed less than 2 pounds. The coin featured the bust of Roma on the obverse and a six-spoked wheel on the reverse. This denomination was not minted during the Republican Era.

With the coinage reform of Augustus in or about 23 BC, the sestertius and dupondius were produced in a golden colored copper-alloy called orichalcum by the Romans and numismatists, and by us brass, while lower denominations were produced out of reddish copper. However, some dupondi were made from copper under Augustus, while under Nero some of the as denomination were made from orichalcum instead of copper. The latter can only be distinguished by their smaller size and the metal.

The dupondius was normally further distinguished from the similarly sized as with the addition of a radiate crown to the bust of the emperor in 66 AD during the reign of Nero. Using a radiate crown to indicate double value was also used on the antoninianus (double denarius) and double sestertius. Since dupondii minted prior to and during the reign of Nero, and occasionally under later rulers, lack the radiate crown, it is often hard to distinguish between the as and the dupondius due to heavy patination which obscures the coin's original color.

An extremely rare dupondius from the reign of Marcus Aurelius, dated to AD 154 or 155 and in excellent condition, was discovered in 2007 at the archeological site in Draper's Gardens, London.

Sestertius of Hadrian, dupondius of Antoninus Pius, and as of Marcus Aurelius
Dupondius of Vespasian (AD 69-79), struck at Lyon in about AD72-73. This coin has escaped serious corrosion and thus retains its original appearance and colour, showing why the Romans sometimes also called orichalcum aurichalcum from aurum for gold. The coin is 29mm in diameter.

See also: Roman currency.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dupondius — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Dupondio de Didio Juliano de 192 en el que se aprecia como el busto imperial porta una corona radiada, mientras que en reverso aparece la imagen de Fortuna como Fortuna Redux. El Dupondius fue una antigua moned …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dupondĭus — Dupondĭus, römische Münze = 2 As …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Dupondĭus — (lat.), altröm. Münze, = 2 Aß = 93 Pf …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • dupondius — DUPONDIUS. s. m. Terme d Antiquaire. Poids de deux livres. Monnoie valant deux as …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • Dupondius — Der Dupondius war eine römische Münze im Wert von zwei Assen. In der frühen Republik hatte er noch ein Gewicht von zwei römischen Pfund (655 Gramm), wurde aber im Laufe der Zeit handlicher und schrumpfte in der späten Republik auf ihr späteres… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dupondius — Dupọndius   [lateinisch »Zweipfünder«] der, / , 1) altrömisches Gewicht: 1 Dupondius = 2 Asse (As) = 655 g; 2) antike römische Münze zu 2 Assen vom 3. Jahrhundert v. Chr. bis zum 3. Jahrhundert n. Chr.; ursprünglich in Bronze geprägt, wurde der… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Dupondius — Le Dupondius est une petite monnaie romaine valant 2 as (IIe siècle av. J.‑C.) La pièce, d un diamètre de 26 mm en moyenne est en bronze ou, plus souvent, laiton et sa masse est de 12 à 14 g. L empereur, à partir de Vespasien, a… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • dupondius — (du pon di us ) s. m. Terme d antiquité romaine. Monnaie valant deux as. ÉTYMOLOGIE    Lat. dupondius, de duo, deux, et pondus, poids (voy. poids) …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Dupondius — Du|pon|di|us der; , <aus lat. dupondius, dies aus duo (asses) pondo »Zweipfünder«, eigtl. »zwei (Asse) vom Pfund«>: 1. altröm. Gewicht (= 2 Asse; vgl. 4↑As). 2. antike röm. Bronze bzw. Messingmünze …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • DUPONDIUS — s. m. (On fait sentir l S finale.) T. d Antiq. romaine. Poids de deux livres, ou Monnaie valant deux as …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 7eme edition (1835)

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”