Gray, Elizabeth Caroline: Tour to the sepulchres of Etruria in 1839 (London, 1840)

INTRODUCTION. 35

common is the assis of Servius Tullius, introduced
into Borne by this monarch from Etruria, and
which is fused and not stamped, and has upon it the
head of Janus. Of this series the marks are as fol-
lows:—the semis has the head of Jupiter with an S,
the tertians that of Minerva with four dots, the
quadrans that of Hercules with three dots, the
sextans that of Mercury with two dots, and the
ounce or uncia, with Minerva again, and one dot;
and all of them bear on the reverse side the prow of
a ship, which is the emblem of the nation from
which they came. When the value of copper greatly
increased, in consequence of the diminution of mines
and the vast consumption of metal, it being em-
ployed both for necessary and ornamental purposes,
the assis was much reduced in weight, and accord-
ing to Pliny it had long before his day been brought
from twelve ounces to two, some writers say even to
one. It is probable that this reduction was gradual
between the second and third century of the city;
and though many asses and their subdivisions have
been found greatly and ridiculously reduced, none,
I believe, have come down to us in their lowest
state. I should conceive three ounces to be the
least weight of any existing as, and eleven ounces
is probably the greatest. We ourselves have a
perfect series both of the large and of the reduced
assis, and in the latter the as weighs about six
ounces, and only the as and the semis are fused.
The other subdivisions of the reduced series are
stamped, which obtains generally throughout the