Etruscan coinage

While some Etruscan coinage can be dated as far back as the 5th century BCE, the vast majority of Etruscan coinage dates to around the 3rd century BCE, spanning the time period of independent Etruscan city-states prior to their annexation by the Roman Republic.

Coinage was first introduced to the Etruscans through contact with the Western Greeks, with specific influence of uniface coin types from Cyprus and Ionia. The production of Etruscan coinage was not centralized or consistent, and consisted of independent minting from various city-states. Evidence that Greek coins circulated in Etruria is supported by finds in the 1868 Volterra hoard, in which coins from or closely copying Phocaea were found.

Coins struck in coastal Etruria tend to resemble Greek coins stylistically; they also followed the Attic weight standard. Conversely, the material fabric of coins produced in central Etruria closely resembles early Roman Republican bronzes, especially concerning in the production of large ramo secco currency bars and aes grave from Volterrae.

History

Bronze

The origin of Etruscan bronze coinage is to be sought in the central Italian pre-coinage aes rude ingots, or lumps and ramo secco and plain bronze bars, which circulated as currency throughout Italy from at least the 5th century BC. By c. 280 BC, the Roman libra or pound weighed about 325 g, subdivided into 12 unciae of about 27 g and 288 scripula of about 1,13 g. The cast round aes grave coinage of Volterra, Tarquinia, including bars, and the Chiana Valley with its associated struck unciae and semi-unciae, are all firmly dated to the 3rd century BC, including a series of oval shaped cast bronze possibly from Volsini. This cast coinage seems to mirror the extensive Roman series. The date of the inception of cast bronze coins is estimated to be about 280 BC and to have been progressively reduced in weight from libral to semi-libral at the outbreak of the Second Punic War in about 217 BC. Further reductions took place until the cast bronze gave way to struck sextantal bronze in about 214-212 BC, and the introduction of the silver 10-as denarius with its fractions, the quinarius (5-asses) and sestertius (21⁄2-asses).