Roman Sestertius

About Roman Sestertius

The large bronze coin of Imperial Rome, worth four asses. The sestertius was the main coin of everyday Roman commerce. Its large size allowed for detailed artwork, making it prized by collectors. Featured the emperors portrait and propaganda scenes. The sestertius of Hadrian shows personifications of the provinces. A single sestertius could buy two loaves of bread. The word sesterce comes from semis tertius meaning two and a half.