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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 33.42–46 & 33.132 (Latin from LacusCurtius ed., trans. Bostock)

Pliny the Elder (LacusCurtius & Perseus Digital Library)

Claims Supported by This Source

  1. Before the victory over King Pyrrhus, Rome did not use stamped silver. The as was originally weighed at one pound (33.42).
  2. King Servius was the first to put a stamp upon copper; before his time, raw copper was used (Timaeus). It was called pecunia from the stamp of cattle (33.43).
  3. Silver coin was struck in the 485th year of the City (269 BC). The denarius was worth ten pounds of bronze (33.44).
  4. When pressed by Hannibal, the as was reduced to one ounce, and the denarius was exchanged for sixteen asses. In the pay of the soldiers, the denarius was always given for ten asses (33.45).
  5. By the Lex Papiria, the as was reduced to half an ounce. The tribune Livius Drusus mixed one-eighth part of copper with the silver (33.46).
  6. Antony mixed iron with the denarius (33.132).

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