172 ROMAN WEIGHTS FOUND AT MELANDRA. 



and the stipendium or unit was 400 asses, or 40 denarii, or 

 if aureus. 



Under Augustus the annual amount was 3,600 new standard 

 asses, equal to 225 denarii, or 9 aiirci, and the stipendium was 

 1,200 asses, or 75 denarii, or 3 aurei. 



Domitian added 25 denarii or i aureus to the stipendium, 

 making it equal to 1,600 asses, or 100 denarii, or 4 aurei. 



The foregoing data furnish the means of estimating the 

 actual weight of the gold and silver coins equal to a stipendium 

 at those three periods of Roman history. In the time of 

 Polybius {circa 150 B.C.) its nominal weights in silver and gold 

 were (60 grs. x 40 =) 2,400 grains and (126 grs. x if ) = 

 201.6 grains; in that of Augustus (60 grs. x 75 =) 4,500 

 grains and (126 grs. x 3 =) 378 grains; and in that of 

 Domitian (52.6 grs. x noo =) 5,260 grains and (112 grs. x 4 =) 

 448 grains respectively. 



The fact that Xos. 5, 9, 10, and 17 in the list of Aveights 

 from Melandra are jjractically equal to \ oz., f oz., i oz., 

 and 4 oz. avoirdupois must be merely an accidental coincidence, 

 for there can be no doubt as to their Romano-British origin 

 and antiquity. The equality shown to exist between those in 

 Table II. and a certain number oi draclimcc or denarii stated 

 in column 5 is in accordance with the Roman system, whereby 

 coins were manufactured to weigh a definite fraction of the 

 uncia or libra; and the same name was frequently applied 

 to both weight and coin, e.g., as or libra, semis, quardrans, 

 siliqua, scxtula or solidus, drachnui, obol, etc. The average 

 weight of the unit in column 5, computed from the total of 

 the ten weights in Table II., is 53 grains, which coincides 

 very nearly with that of the doiarii of Trajan and Hadrian. 



To prevent confusion, these weights are distinguished by 

 both punch-marks and differences in shape. No. 18 is a flat 

 oval, and is marked by five small punctures peculiarly arranged, 

 and by a deep groove along its transverse diameter, thus : 

 * * • It may be shown to equal 5 stipcndia of the age of 

 Augustus, or 15 gold aurei, in the following way: — 



