The ''dupondius'' (
Latin ''two-pounder'') was a
brass coin used during the
Roman Republic and
Roman Empire valued at 2
asses (4/5 of a
sestertius or 1/5 of a
denarius during the Republic and 1/2 of a sestertius or 1/8 of a denarius during the time of
Augustus).
The dupondius was introduced during the Roman Republic as a large bronze
cast coin, although even at introduction it weighed less than 2
Roman pounds (''librae''). The initial coins featured the bust of
Roma
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* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
on the obverse and a six-spoked wheel on the reverse. A loaf of bread or a sextarius (c. 0.5 L) of wine cost roughly one dupondius at the height of the Roman Empire, though due to the debasement of the denarius over the following century, the dupondius was discarded.
With the
coinage reform of Augustus in about 23 BC, the sestertius and dupondius were produced in a type of
brass called
orichalcum by the Romans and numismatists, while lower denominations were produced out of reddish copper. However, some dupondii were made entirely from
copper under
Augustus, while under
Nero some
aes
AES may refer to:
Businesses and organizations Companies
* AES Corporation, an American electricity company
* AES Data, former owner of Daisy Systems Holland
* AES Eletropaulo, a former Brazilian electricity company
* AES Andes, formerly AES Gener ...
were made from both orichalcum and copper, instead of only copper for
aes
AES may refer to:
Businesses and organizations Companies
* AES Corporation, an American electricity company
* AES Data, former owner of Daisy Systems Holland
* AES Eletropaulo, a former Brazilian electricity company
* AES Andes, formerly AES Gener ...
coined until then. Therefore, the latter can only be distinguished from dupondii by their smaller size instead of by also the appearance of 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 markedly used on the
antoninianus (double denarius) introduced by
Caracalla and the
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
patina
Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...
which often obscures the coin's original color.
An extremely rare dupondius from the reign of
Marcus Aurelius, dated to 154 or 155 and in excellent condition, was discovered in 2007 at the archaeological site in
Draper's Gardens
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, London.
See also
*
Roman currency
Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denomi ...
References
{{Roman coinage
Coins of ancient Rome
Numismatics