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Message:: [QUOTE="lehmansterms, post: 3002856, member: 80804"]What I think is interesting/important about the Æ1-4 system is that it was not developed with LRB's specifically in mind. It was created, as I understand it, at a time when the names of the earlier Imperial denominations were in a state of uncertainty not unlike our spotty knowledge of the 4th & 5th century coins' values/denominations/names. The system as it originated called the obviously largest circulating denomination "Æ1", what we now call the "sestertius", next largest were the "Æ2's", the "as" & "dupondius". The "Æ3" was what we now call a "semis" and the "Æ4" was the "quadrans" or so it seemed to make sense at the time and such are the names the coins were subsequently called. As I understand it, at the time this system was hit upon to ease descriptions of earlier Roman coins, LRB's were considered "beneath the notice" of the typical upper class collector. Then, as LRB's gained more acceptance as "real Roman coins" - which was around the same time the earlier denominations had been sorted-out and demystified - the "Æx" system was applied to the mass of various sizes of LRB's to sort them out for practical purposes.I see our names - "follis", "centenionalis", "majorina", "nummus" etc, to really be not much more valid or invalid in the absence of written records to interpret than the Æ1-4 system (many now add "Æ5" to the list for those really tiny later pieces)Personally, I like to use the system David Sear uses in the millennium RC&TV series which divides the Æ3's of the 4th century into rational groups. The "centenionalis" (introduced ca. 319) marked a real departure from the sadly diminished Diocletianic "follis" in that the centenionales did not employ the typical pagan reverses of the Tetrarchic-era pieces. I'm guessing that in real life, ca. 320 or so, the late-issue (small) Æ3 folles probably circulated side-by-side with the similarly sized centenionales for a time and were probably valued the same.As the centenionalis inevitably shrunk via inflation/economic necessity in the mid 4th century a real departure from that denomination was launched ca. 348 in an Æ2 module which can be called "majorina" including almost all the varieties of FEL TEMP REPARATIO when first introduced (the Æ3 "Phoenix on globe/mound" and "Emperor on galley" types are assumed to have been intended as half majorinae.) The majorina denominated coins also shrank rather quickly so the by the time Julian took over from Constantius II, another reform was due. He eschewed the Christian "sensibilities" of the age and many think his clearly pagan-reverse SECVRITAS REIPVB Apis bull Æ1's were a relatively short-lived attempt to revive the early Diocletianic follis. He also restored the Æ3 to a significant size (as continued by the House of Valentinian I and later) compared to the miserable tiny, mainly Æ4-module SALVS REIPVBLICE tail-end specimens of the majorina system. Thereafter "centenionalis" is typically used for the Æ3 size coins, "majorina" = Æ2 for the larger types, "nummus" = Æ4's of all description.We still don't (and may well never know) exactly what the Romans called their various changing and shifting denominations - we create these systems for our own convenience in description.[/QUOTE]

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