The ''dupondius'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''two-pounder'') was a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

used during the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

and

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

valued at 2 '' asses'' (4/5 of a ''

sestertius The ''sestertius'' (: ''sestertii'') or sesterce (: sesterces) was an Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Roman currency, coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. During the Roman Empire it was a large ...

'' or 1/5 of a ''

denarius The ''denarius'' (; : ''dēnāriī'', ) was the standard Ancient Rome, Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the ''antoninianus''. It cont ...

'' during the Republic and 1/2 of a ''sestertius'' or 1/8 of a ''denarius'' during the time of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

). The ''dupondius'' was introduced during the Roman Republic as a large bronze

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, although even at introduction it weighed less than 2 Roman pounds (''librae''). The initial coins featured the bust of Roma on the obverse and a six-spoked wheel on the reverse. A loaf of bread or a ''sextarius'' ( 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

called orichalcum by the Romans and numismatists, while lower denominations were produced out of reddish copper. However, some ''dupondii'' were made entirely from

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

under

, while under

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

some '' asses'' were made from both orichalcum and copper, instead of only copper for '' asses'' 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 The ''antoninianus'' or pre-reform radiate was a coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in ...

'' (double ''denarius'') introduced by

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (; ), was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then r ...

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 which often obscures the coin's original color. An extremely rare ''dupondius'' from the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

, dated to 154 or 155 and in excellent condition, was discovered in 2007 at the archaeological site in Draper's Gardens, London.

References

{{Use British English, date=April 2025 Coins of ancient Rome Numismatics

See also

References