300px, A quinarius of 90 BC of L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi: Obv.: head of Roma right in a winged helmetq; V (asses) for quinarius. Rev.: Dioscuri riding right, stars above heads; ROMA below.
The ''quinarius'' (plural: ''quinarii''
[Oxford English Dictionary, Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged.]) was a small silver
Roman coin valued at half 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 ...
.
The quinarius was struck for a few years, along with the silver
sestertius, following the introduction of the
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 ...
in 211 BC. At this time the quinarius was valued at 5
asses. The coin was reintroduced in 101 BC as a replacement for the
victoriatus, this time valued at 8 asses due to retariffing of the denarius to 16 asses in 118 BC. For a few years following its reintroduction, large quantities of quinarii were produced, mostly for circulation in
Gaul
Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
. The coin was produced sporadically until the 3rd century. Its symbol is 𐆗.
The term ''
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
quinarius'' or ''quinarius aureus'' is used to describe the half-
aureus, which is valued at 12.5 denarii. This term has no ancient authority.
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Coins of ancient Rome
Numismatics
{{AncientRome-stub
211 BC