Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

NUMMUS. NUNDINAE. 815
connected with the Attic, namely, 4 nunzinl complete list even of the chief books on numisniaI draeln. Hence, also, we see how the ounce of tics. All the earlier works are referred to in one
the Sicilian system came to be identified by the or other of the few books which we now proceed
Greek writers with the chalcus, in its specific to mention as those which are most important for
sense. The Attic clhalcus was - of the obol the student who wishes to pursue the subject fur[CHALCUS]; hence 12 chalci would make up 1 I ther:-Eckhel, Doctrina Aezmonosum Feteruia, 8
Attic obols, that is (restoring the 1-1Oth of depre- vols. 4to., Vindobon. 1792-1839, some of the
ciation), an Aeginetan obol, or a Sicilian litra. volumes being second editions; Rasche, Lexicoii
The nu7mmus of the Tarentines, mentioned in the Universae Rei Numariae, 7 vols. 8vo., Lips. 1785
above passage from Pollux, and which was also -1805; 5Wurm, de Ponderusnz, NsAruorun?, liealused at Heracieia, was a much larger coin, and is sucrarum, ae de Anni ordinandi Rationibus, anactprobably the same as the full-weighted Aeginetan Romlanos et Graecos. Stutg. 1831, 8vo.; Hussey,
drachma (apaXgi!'raXE7a), which came near Essay on? the Ancient l.VeihtIs and Money, Oxf.,
enough to the Attic didrachm to be identified 1836, 8vo.; Biickh, AMletroloyischle Untersuchalune
with it when the currencies came to be mixed. Ien iiber Gewic/te, llAiinzfiisse, und Maisse des Alterfiact the word numntnSus was evidently applied (like thumsn2 ie ilhrem ZusanLmenha/cci qe, Berlin, 1838,
orTaT7p in Greece) to the chief current coin in any 8vo; Grote's Review of Bickh's work, in the
systeml, and it may therefore have had very dif- Classical Mliuseum, vol. i. [P. S.]
ferent values: Plautus actually uses it for the NUNCUPA'TIO. [TESTAMENTUa.]
didrachm. NU'NDINAE is invariably and justly derived
For a further account of the Sicilian nu71mesius by all the ancient writers from snovenr and dies, so
and small talent, anld the Attico-Sicilian system, that it literally signifies the ninth day. (Dionys.
see Bickh, cc. xxi. xxii. Ant. Rone. ii. 28, vii. 58; Macrob. Cat. i. 1 6
iv. Olt the Valuce of Ancient Monwy in ternms of Festus, s. v. Nundinalenm Cocum.) In ancient Caour own'c.- When we enldeavour to express the value lendaria all the days of the year, beginning with
of ancient coins in terms of our own, we meet with the first of January, are divided into what we may
certain difficulties which require particular con- call weeks, each containing eight days which are
sideration. If we take for example, a drachma, marked by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, IH.
and a shilling, and make a comparison of their Now it is admitted on all hands that this division
weigrht and of the fineness of the silver in each, is made to mark the nnmdinae, for every eighth
eve at once obtain a determinate ratio for the value day, according to our mode of speaking, was a
of the one to the other; and it might appear nundinae. There were thus always seven ordito a thoughtless person that, having thus found nary days between two nundilae. The Romans
what fractional part of a shilling a drachma is, we in their peculiar mode of reckoning added these
might substitute that value for the drachma, its two nundinae to the seven ordinary days, and
multiples and parts, wherever they are mentioned consequently said that the nmndinae recurred every
by ancient authors; and so of the other coins; ninth day, and called them nunaldinae, as it were
and that thus we might express all ancient money noveadc/inae. A similar mode of stating the nuemin terms of our own. Of course we sei5q/lt do so; ber of days in a week is still customary in Gerbut it does not follow that, after doingl so, -we many, where, in common life, the expression csi/lt
should at all obtain what we are seekinug, s ti'ee dcays is used for a week, and the French and
idea of the valuse of ancieniZt?ZOneCy, in any sense Italians in the same manner call a fortnight quinze
which canl throw light on the numerous social, and jours and quindici giornsi.
economical, and political questions, which the de- The nunmber of nundinae in the ancient year of
termination of its value mlay affect. Even the ten months was 3.1; and care was always taken
coins themselves give different results according as that they should not fill on the calends of January
we compare the gold or the silver with our gold nor upon the nones of anly month (Macrob. Sat. i.
or silver, and also according as we compare them 13; Dion Cass. xl. 47, xlviii. 33), and ins order to
with the true value of the metal in the coin and effect this, the 355th day of the lunar year (dies
the value at which the coin is current; our shilling, inteecalaris) was inserted in such a manner as to.
for example, is currenlt at rather more than its avoid the coincidence of the nunclinae with the
real value. Another source of disagreement, in priumae calendae or the nones. MMacrobius says
comparing the gold and the silver coins with ours, that it was generally believed that if the nundinae
is the different ratios of the value of gold to that fell upon the primae calendae, the whole year
of silver in ancient and in modern times. (See would be signalised by misfortunes; the nones
AR(;ENTUM, AuRvmr.) The only course left is were avoided because the birthday of killg Servius
to express the value of the ancient coins in terms Tullius was celebrated one the nones of every
of the current value of our coins, choosing the month, as it was known that he was born on the
sovereign or shilling as the standard just as we nones of some month, though the month itself
may prefer, but in making use of the values so was not known. Now, as on the nundines,
obtained, to remember that they are comparatively the country-folk assembled is the city, the
wcort7lless, until by otller investigations Zwne have as- patricians feared lest the plebeians gathered at
certained the value of money as conmpared with corn- Rome on the nones might become excited and enmnodities at different periods of ancient history. danger the peace of the republic. These reasons
Such investigations form no part of our present are indeed very unsatisfactory, as Gbttling (Cesch/
subject. The reader is referred for them to der Riise. Staatstv. p. 183) has shown, and it is
Bickh's Public Econonoy of Athens, and to Jacob's more probable that the calends of January were ill
hlistory of the Precious Aletals. The Tables ap- suited to be nundinae, because this day was genepended to this work are constructed on the prin- rally spent by every father in the bosom of his
ciple we have described. own fanily, and that the nones were avoided, beIt is unnlecessary to make any attempt to give a cause, as Ovid (Fast. i. 58) says, Aronarus tteyle