Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction X 27 September 2015
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Rectangular Solidus Weight (?) or Dedicatory Plaquette. Circa AD 507-511. Æ with silver inlay legend: SALVS DOMNO NOSTRO / CAELIANVS PATRICIVS PRAEF VR. Unpublished in the standard references, for similar examples cf. S. Benadall, Byzantine Weights, 1996, 172 (in the names of Zeno, Odovacar and Symmachus, now in the BnF, Paris); J. Forien de Rochesnard, Album des poids antiques 3, Rome et Byzance, p. 51 (in the name Albinus); NAC sale 5, 1992, 621 = NAC sale 54, 2010, 1339 (in the name Paulinvs praef. vrb.), sold for CHF 4,600. 3.66g, 20 x 14mm, 6h.
Very Fine. A most interesting historical document.
The office of praefecti vrbi, originally created by Augustus, acted as chief magistrates of the the city of Rome. They were always of high rank, viri clarrisimi in the late empire and in command of the police force, the vigiles urbanae and their general jurisdiction would have included the issue and of control of weights and measures. If these are solidus weights they usually suffer the drawback of being light, perhaps due the deterioration of the bronze, and weigh between 4.28g and 3.66g. H. Dressel in 'Corpus Inscriptiones Latinorum' (CIL) 15, listed these as 'tesserae monumetorum' or dedicatory plaquettes intended to mark dedications, reconstructions or repairs to buildings on the basis that some bear the formula renovavit which perhaps points to this conclusion.
Very Fine. A most interesting historical document.
The office of praefecti vrbi, originally created by Augustus, acted as chief magistrates of the the city of Rome. They were always of high rank, viri clarrisimi in the late empire and in command of the police force, the vigiles urbanae and their general jurisdiction would have included the issue and of control of weights and measures. If these are solidus weights they usually suffer the drawback of being light, perhaps due the deterioration of the bronze, and weigh between 4.28g and 3.66g. H. Dressel in 'Corpus Inscriptiones Latinorum' (CIL) 15, listed these as 'tesserae monumetorum' or dedicatory plaquettes intended to mark dedications, reconstructions or repairs to buildings on the basis that some bear the formula renovavit which perhaps points to this conclusion.