Libral standard

{{Short description|Ancient coin standard}} The '''libral standard''' compares the weight of [[coin]]s to the bronze ''[[as (Roman coin)|as]]'', which originally weighed one [[Ancient Roman units of measurement|Roman pound]], but decreased over time to 1/2 pound (the '''semi-libral standard'''). It is often used in discussions of ancient cast coinage of central Italy, especially [[Etruscan coins]] and [[Roman Republican coinage]]. The adjective ''libral'' is related to ''libra'', the [[Ancient Rome|Ancient Roman]] unit of weight, and is not related to the word ''[[wiktionary:Liberal|liberal]]''.

The libral standard began with the era of the so-called [[aes grave]] (heavy bronze) cast coinage of Rome, from circa 280 BC, where one ''as'' weighed one Roman pound ([[Ancient Roman units of measurement|libra]]), or twelve Roman ounces ([[Ancient Roman units of measurement|unciae]]). This changed when the weight of the aes grave was decreased to approximately 10 unciae (the "light libral standard") circa 265-217 BC, remaining at that level until about 217 BC. It then suddenly fell to 6 unciae (the "semi-libral standard") around the start of the second Punic war in about 217 BC, before finally falling still further until about 141 BC.<ref>Crawford 1974:131-236</ref>

The libral/semi-libral standards were followed by the '''triental standards''' and the '''sextantal standard'''.

Many Greek city states (colonies) were founded on the Italian peninsula and Sicily during this time period; these are collectively referred to as [[Magna Graecia]]. The coinage of those city-states is more closely related to the rest of the ancient Greek world (which included many colonies along the [[Mediterranean]] and [[Black Sea]] coasts), and generally has no relationship to the Etruscan/Roman units.

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== * Crawford, Michael H. (1974). ''Roman Republican Coinage'', Cambridge University Press, 2 Volumes. {{ISBN|0-521-07492-4}}

[[Category:Coins]]