The semis, literally meaning half, was a small Roman bronze coin that was valued at half an as. During the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, the semis was distinguished by an 'S' (indicating semis) or 6 dots (indicating a theoretical weight of 6 uncia). Some of the coins featured a bust of

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...

on the obverse, and the prow of a ship on the reverse. Initially a

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

coin, like the rest of Roman Republican bronzes, it began to be struck from dies shortly before the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

218-201 BC. Following the Augustan Coinage reforms of 23 BC the Semis became the smallest Orichalcum (brass) denomination, having twice the value of a copper Quadrans and Half the value of the copper As. Its size and diameter corresponded directly to the

quadrans The quadrans (literally meaning "a quarter") or teruncius ("three unciae") was a low-value Roman bronze coin worth one quarter of an as. The quadrans was issued from the beginning of cast bronze coins during the Roman Republic with three p ...

, so its value was attained from brass having double the value of copper. The coin was issued infrequently and it ceased to be issued by the time of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

117-138 AD. In the early Imperial period, a Semis could buy a Cerae (wax writing tablet).

External links

Coins of ancient Rome Numismatics Bronze coins {{AncientRome-stub ca:Llista de monedes romanes#Semis

See also

External links