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Message:: [QUOTE="rrdenarius, post: 4564313, member: 75525"]Where did you find it? I think that a piece like yours with a find spot is better than the piece by itself.Cast bronze was used as money in Italy before they produced coins (see note below). It is hard to tell what was money, a votive item, metal for use, etc. Your piece looks like what I call pieces of broken bronze plate in my cast bronze collection. [ATTACH]1130129[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1130131[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]1130132[/ATTACH] Find locations in Italian Cast Coinage by I Vecchi are: Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Croatia & Bosnia. That does not mean cast bronze was not used in other places. What is Money? According to D. B. Holland in "Money in the Late Roman Republic" it was something used as:•Medium of exchange: recognized by many to have value, facilitates trade; examples: land, cattle, sheep, bullion, shells, etc.•Measure of value: to determine equivalent trade value, ie – how many eggs equal a modius of flour•Unit of account: to balance books, determine tax rate, set social standing for senate & army (see below)•Store of wealth, needs to be something that is: “small”, will hold value, will not degrade with time•Means of payment: pay soldiers and other military expenses, pay taxes, buy (luxury) goods from outside communityBy this definition, the cast bronze was money.[/QUOTE]