As (Roman coin) as, the (2), (2), . After the as had been issued as a cast coin for about seventy years, and its weight had been reduced in several stages, a as was introduced (meaning that it weighed one-sixth of a pound). At about the same time a silver coin, the denarius, was also introduced. Earlier Roman silver coins had been struck on the Greek weight standards that facilitated their use in southern Italy and across the Adriatic, but all Roman coins were now on a Roman weight standard. The denarius, or 'tenner', was at first tariffed at ten asses, but in
Denarius Denarius The denarius (, dēnāriī, ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War c. 211 BC to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the Antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very small quantities, likely for ceremonial purposes, until and through the tetrarchy (293–313). The word "dēnārius" is derived from the Latin "dēnī" "containing ten", as its value was originally of 10 assēs. The word for "money" descends from it in Italian ("denaro"), Slovene ("denar"), Portuguese ("dinheiro"), and Spanish ("dinero"). Its name also survives in the