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Message:: [QUOTE="Ardatirion, post: 2387392, member: 9204"]This is actually the usual course of research with these. You look at a tessera and see a horse, so you think, "Ah, for entrance to the races!" Or you see an amphora and think, "Ah, for distribution of grain!" But the problem with this is that it only explains a fraction of the known types. The majority of tesserae from Rome bear types that cannot be explained in this manner – any one of a number of deities, animals, and inanimate objects serve as types. I argue that any theory of what these things were used for must be inclusive of ALL types and examples. Or rather, all types that share the same fabric and methods of manufacture, from all regions. This is an empire-wide phenomenon. As I've said before, I think these pieces served as a privately-issued small-denomination token coinage that was tolerated, if not openly endorsed, by the authorities. I discuss all of this in an upcoming publication that should be out sometime this year, if I ever get off my butt and finish laying it out![/QUOTE]