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Damnatio memoriae |
Roman condemnation of a deceased
person for crimes against the state; resulting in the destruction or
obliteration of the person's name and image. |
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Debase |
To reduce the precious metal content
of coinage by alloying it with less valuable metals. |
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Decennalia |
Anniversary of the tenth year of
assuming office; usually celebrated with games and other events. |
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Decursio |
Roman equestrian military manoeuvre. |
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Dekadrachm |
Greek gold or silver coin of 10
drachmas |
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Delamination |
Metal missing or retained but peeling
from the surface due to incomplete bonding or impurities in the flan |
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Denarius |
Roman silver coin weighing about 3.5
grams; valued at 16 asses |
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Design |
The devices and legends appearing on a
coin and their arrangement |
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Diadem |
Greek headdress in the form of a band
denoting victory; a symbol of kingship. Diadems of late Roman and Byzantine
emperors were elaborately decorated. |
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Diana |
(Artemis) Greek goddess of the
hunt and of the Moon. |
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Didrachm |
Greek silver coin of 2 drachmas
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Die |
A piece of metal at one end of which
is cut the inverse of the design of one side of a coin; when a flan is
struck with the die the raised design is formed. |
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Die chip |
A flaw caused by a fragment broken off
from a die; metal flowing this during striking results in a raised area on
the surface of the coin |
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Die clash |
Upper and lower dies struck together
without a flan between them; design details are partially impressed into the
opposite dies |
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Die crack |
A fissure in the surface of a die;
coins struck with which have a raised line corresponding to the crack
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Die state |
Condition of a die at a particular
point in its life |
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Dionysos |
Greek god of the vine and other fruits |
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Dioscuri |
Castor and Pollux; twin Greek and
Roman heroes |
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Drachm |
(Drachma) Greek silver coin of
about 4 g |
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Dupondius |
Roman bronze or brass coin worth 2
asses |
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Edge |
The surface perpendicular to the two
sides of a coin. |
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Electrotype |
A reproduction of a coin made by the
electroplating process. |
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Electrum |
Naturally occurring alloy of gold and
silver used for early coins; also refers to gold debased with silver |
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Exergue |
The lower part of a coin; sometimes
divided from the field by a line and often containing a mintmark or
engraver's initial(s). |
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Facing Bust |
A full frontal portrait; common during
the Byzantine period. |
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Fasces |
Roman symbol of authority; a bundle of
wooden rods with an axe |
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Fibula |
Clasp used to fasten clothing; like a
safety pin |
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Field |
The flat surface of a coin surrounding
the designs. |
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Flan |
Metal blank from which a coin is
struck |
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Fleur de coin |
A coin in essentially perfect
condition. |
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Follis |
A Roman and Byzantine bronze
denomination |
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Fourre |
A coin with a base metal core
surrounded by a foil of precious metal; normally an ancient counterfeit but
sometimes an official issue. |
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Forgery |
An imitation of a coin made to deceive
a collector. |
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Fraction |
A coin of less than one unit; for
example a hemiobol |
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Genius |
Personification of a nation or group;
e.g. the Roman people |
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Globus cruciger |
Sphere with a cross on top; symbol of
sovereignty on Byzantine coins. |
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Gorgon |
(Medusa) Mythological female
monster with snakes for hair |
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Gorgoneion |
Gorgon’s head |
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Grading |
The process of determining and
describing a coin's condition |
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Hades |
Greek god of the underworld |
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Hera |
Greek queen of the gods |
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Herakles |
Greek hero renowned for strength and
virility |
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Hexagram |
Byzantine silver coin weighing 6 g |
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Hexastyle |
Having six columns |
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Hilaritas |
Personification of laughter; also
mirth or joy |
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Hippocamp |
Sea-horse |
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Hoard |
A deposit of coins secreted in the
past; discovered accidentally. |
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Holed |
Having a hole drilled through it;
usually to use for jewelry |
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Horned Head or Bust |
Some
coins show a horn on the head as an indication of divinity (Zeus Ammon; also
Alexander deified and Elagabalus). |
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Hub |
A raised positive punch used to
impress recessed working dies |
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Incuse |
Impressed into the surface; recessed
rather than raised. |
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Isis |
Egyptian goddess; mother of Horus
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Italia |
The land of Italy; also its
personification |
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Ithyphallic |
Sporting an erection; usually larger
than life |
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Janus |
Double-headed god of beginnings |
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Janiform |
Refers to two heads facing in opposite
directions; joined at the back as in depictions of Janus |
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Jugate Heads |
Two
(or rarely three) heads shown facing the same direction and overlapping.
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Jupiter |
Roman King of the gods
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Labarum |
A military standard bearing the
Christogram |
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Labyrinth |
A maze; the original (at the palace of
Minos in Knossos) was the legendary home of the Minotaur |
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Lamination |
Defect consisting of a portion of the
metal of the flan separating from the rest due to impurities or internal
stresses |
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Lares |
The spirits of departed ancestors
associated with a house |
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Laureate |
Wearing a wreath of laurel leaves tied
in the back with a ribbon |
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Legend |
The inscription on a coin |
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Legionary eagle |
A legionary standard surmounted by an
eagle |
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Legionary standard |
A military symbol affixed to a tall
pole. These were originally the guiding standards for the maniples
comprising a legion. |
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Lepton |
A small Greek bronze coin best known
as the "Widow’s mite" of Palestine; one half Prutah |
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Liberalitas |
The personification of liberality or
generosity |
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Libertas |
The personification of liberty |
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Libra |
An Italian pound |
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Lictor |
One of the guards or escorts for Roman
magistrates; they bore the fasces as a symbol of office |
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Litra |
A Sicilian Greek pound |
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Lituus |
Augur’s or priest’s staff; like a
shepherd’s crook |
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Luster |
A sheen or radiance of a coin’s
surface; resulting from reflection of light off flow lines caused by
striking |
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Manus Dei |
Hand of God appearing from above as an
indication of divine approval. |
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Mars |
Roman god of war |
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Medallion |
A large presentation piece not
intended for circulation as money |
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Medusa |
(Gorgon) Snake-haired female
monster |
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Mint luster |
See luster |
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Mint mark |
A mark added to a die to indicate the
mint at which a coin was struck. Under the Romans this often included the
individual workshop in a mint |
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Mint state |
As struck; uncirculated. |
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Modius |
A container used to hold or measure
grain and other foodstuffs; one third amphora; about one peck |
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Module |
The size of a flan |
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Moneta |
The personification of money |
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Monogram |
A symbol comprised of conjoined
letters |
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Mural crown |
A crown whose decoration is
battlements representing the walls of a city; often worn by Tyche |
