The ''semis'' () was a small Roman bronze coin that was valued at half an '' as''. 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 ...

, the ''semis'' was distinguished by an 'S' (indicating ''semis'') or 6 dots (indicating a theoretical weight of 6 '' unciae''). 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 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

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 Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

(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'', 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 ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

(117–138 AD). In the early Imperial period, a ''semis'' could buy a ''cerae'' (wax writing tablet).

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

See also

References

External links