When was the Roman as coin first introduced?
The Roman as was introduced around 280 BC as a large cast bronze coin during the Roman Republic. It replaced earlier forms of exchange including raw bronze ingots and rough disks called aes rude.
Questions about As (Roman coin)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What images appeared on the Roman as coin?
During the Republic, the as featured the bust of Janus, the two-faced god, on the obverse, and the prow of a galley on the reverse.
Why was the denarius retariffed from ten to sixteen asses around 140 BC?
The retariffing of the denarius from ten to sixteen asses around 140 BC is said to have been a result of financing the Punic Wars. The change increased the silver coin's value relative to the bronze as.
What metal was the as struck in after Augustus reformed Roman coinage?
Following Augustus's coinage reform in 23 BC, the as was struck in reddish pure copper rather than bronze. At the same time, higher-denomination coins like the sestertius and dupondius were struck in a golden-colored bronze alloy called orichalcum.
When was the last Roman as coin produced?
The last as appears to have been produced by the emperor Aurelian between 270 and 275 AD, and again briefly at the beginning of the reign of Diocletian.
How did the Byzantine assarion differ from the original Roman as?
The Byzantine assarion, re-established by Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos around the late 13th century, was a low-quality flat copper coin weighing approximately 3 to 4 grams. It exchanged at 768 to a single gold hyperpyron and featured designs that changed annually, producing great variation among surviving coins.