Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/807

* NUMISMATICS. 685 NUMISMATICS. bronze'), semis (half-as, so-called 'small bronze'), anil quadnins (quartern*, also so-i-alled 'small bronze'). The srslirlixn and (luij<iii(litis are of yellow bronze (orieliakum) ,the «.s' of red bronze. Kuillier, the duiJuiKtius and as, whieli are al- most of a size, are generally distinguished by the faet that the former has the Imperial head with radiate or spiked erown — the latter with laurel wreath. Down through the Antonine period we have a splendid series both arlistieally and tcch- nieally, but from the reign of Commodus (180- 1112) coins begin to be debased botli in quality and fabric. The denarius especially began to be small and of base metal, so that (araealla intro- iluced a new silver coin, the antoniiiianus, or ilouble denarius, distinguished by the radiate irown for emperors, and a crescent at the neck for empresses. From this time all coins (except gold, which is rare) were more and more de- based. Billon .superseded silver, or the denarius became a copper coin washed with silver. The larger bronze coins, srstcrtius, du/iondius, as, disappeared forever. Under the later Empire mints were opened in all parts of the Roman world, and the sign of the mint appears on the coin, as PLOX {pecunia Londinensis, mint of London), SMANT {sacra moneta Antiochensis, mint of Antioch) etc. Constantine (a.d. 312) fi.ved the gold unit at 1-72 of a pound, and named it solidus, with divisions, the scmissis or half, and triens or third. He reestablished silver coins, notably the miliarense and the sili<jua: and coined in bronze the maiorina and centinioivalis. These coins endured till the fall of the Western Empire. The art of the Roman coins is best expressed by their portraiture. During the first two centuries the portraits are masterpieces; in the third century they are either gross or brutal ; and in the fourth and fifth they are unnatural and absurd. The reference work on Imperial coins is Cohen, Description hislorique des monnaics frufi- pees sons I'empire romain (2d ed., Paris, 1880- 90). Consult also: Stevenson, Dictionary of Poniaib Coins (London, 1880); Gnecclii, Monrfc roinane (Milan, ISOG); Blanchet, Les inonnaies roinaine^ (Paris. 1806). 51EDI.EVAL AND MODERN CoiN.s. There is no sharp line of demarcation between ancient and modern coins, but the Byzantine series, which continues the mintages of the Eastern Roman Empire, is a natural link. Byzantine coins are: in gold, the solidns. with its half and third; in silver, the silitjua. with its half and (]uarter; in copper, the small unit, without sign of value, the nomisnia, (marked e = 5), centenionalis (marked 1 = 10). denarius (marked K = 20), and the follis (marked M = 40). The work- manship is generally crude. After the tenth century the portrait of the Emperor is supported by some patron saint. The reverse has such tyjies as Victory with a cross, afterwards a rep- resentation of the Saviour or the Virgin. Latin is gradually sujierseded by Greek in the inscrip- tions, and wholly disappears by the time of Alexius L (1081-1118). The series continues until the overthrow of Constantinus XIV. Pa- laologus by the Turks in 14.5,"!. Consult Sabatier. Monnaies bi/zantines (2 vols., Paris, 1802). In the West the coins of the barbarian States founded on the ruins of the Roman Empire re- tained the form and style of the late Roni;>n coins, though becoming always more degraded in art and fabric. Latin is the universal language. The principal coins in circulation in the early middle ages were the silver denartus and its half, the ohot. It will be possible here to treat the development of coinage in modern times only in a very summary way. With the rise of barba- rian kingdoms in Italj-, Spain, and Africa, we have coins in silver and copper (rarely gold) of the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and 'andals. The Visigothic coinage in .Spain extends from Leovi- gildus (573-58U) to the overthrow of Roderio by the Arabs in 711. A jSIoorish coinage now begins in Spain, with the peculiarity of Arabic on one side and Latin on the other, and bearing dates both according to the llegira and according to the old Roman indictional system. These coins are numerous in the eighth century. Con- sult Codera y Zaidin, Tratado dc numismatica ara higo-espa ii ola. In England the Anglo-Saxon coinage begins in the seventh century, and though also a devel- opment of the late Roman coins, it shows little resemblance to them. The two chief coins are the silver skcatlu and the copper sti/ea. The little gold coin of Pada, or Peada, King of Mer- cia (655-050), is notable as having runic letters along with the Latin. The coins of Offa, King of Mercia (757-706), and of Alfred the Great (871001) are especially characteristic. The Jlerovingian kings in Gaul begin to strike coins under Theodebert I. (534-538). There are gold solidi and trientes. A fine gold piece of Dagobert (622-638) is perhaps the best of the series. The Carolingian coins begin with Pepin (752-768). and are most common in the gold triens and silver denarius. Of Charlemagne (768-814) the coins are numerous, and often have a good like- ness. On Merovingian coins consult: De Bel- fort. Description r/cnerale des monnaies mcrovin- giennes (Paris, 1892). On Carolingian coins: CJariel, Les monnaies royales de France sous la race carolincjienne (Strassbnrg, 1883-85). In, Italy the coinage of the Lombards begins during the Merovingian period in France, with numerous issues in Milan, Benevento. and Salerno, always with the Hat flans and crude fabric of the period. For the coins of the early Middle Ages in Europe, consult : Engel et Ser- rurc. Trait c de numismatique. vol. i., Paris. 1892. Papal coins, a long and interesting series, begin with Hadrian L (772-785) and extend to Pins IX. Consult: Cinagli, Le monete dei Papi (Fe- rino, 1848). The coins of the German rulers of this period often have on the reverse the name and emblems of a bishop. To the tenth century belongs the earliest coin with a (Jerman inscrip- tion, a denarius struck at Gittclde, near Bruns- wick, reading "hir steid te biscop" (hier steht dcr Bischof), with bishop's portrait, and "le- litliis pening" {Pfennig of llittelde). The word pening was now the general name in Ger- manic countries for denarius, whence English d. = penny. On medi;pval German coins, con- sult: Cappe. Die Miinxen der d(iitsehen Kai.ter und Kiinige des MitlehiHers (Dresden. 1848-57). In X'orway and Sweden in the eleventh century we have denarii or pennies, with inscriptions in runic or Latin letters, and in Swedish or Latin, or both together. The coins of the Danish kings in England, Cnut for instance, have purely Eng- lish legends, as do also those of contemporary Irish princes, as Sitric III., King of Dublin ( 080-