aes

Aes Cyprium, whence cuprum, copper: scoria aeris, copper dross or scoria, Plin. 34, 11, 24, § 107: aeris flos, flowers of copper, id. 34, 11, 24, § 107: squama aeris, scales of copper, Cels. 2, 12 init.: aes fundere, Plin. 33, 5, 30, § 94: conflare et temperare, id. 7, 56, 57, § 197: India neque aes neque plumbum habet, id. 34, 17, 48, § 163: aurum et argentum et aes, Vulg. Ex. 25, 3.—

An alloy, for the most part of copper and tin, bronze (brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, was hardly known to the ancients. For their bronze coins the Greeks adhered to copper and tin till B.C. 400, after which they added lead. Silver is rare in Greek bronze coins. The Romans admitted lead into their bronze coins, but gradually reduced the quantity, and, under Calig., Nero, Vesp., and Domit., issued pure copper coins, and then reverted to the mixture of lead. In the bronze mirrors now existing, which are nearly all Etruscan, silver predominated to give a highly reflecting surface. The antique bronze had about 87 parts of copper to 13 of tin. An analysis of several objects has given the following centesimal parts: [figure] statua ex aere, Cic. Phil. 9, 6: simulacrum ex aere factum, Plin. 34, 4, 9, § 15: valvas ex aere factitavere, id. 34, 3, 7, § 13.—Hence: ducere aliquem ex aere, to cast one's image in bronze, id. 7, 37, 38, § 125; and in the same sense poet.: ducere aera, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 240: aes Corinthium, Plin. 34, 2, 3, §§ 5-8; v. Corinthius.—

(Esp. in the poets.) For everything made or prepared from copper, bronze, etc. (statues, tables of laws, money), and (as the ancients had the art of hardening and tempering copper and bronze) weapons, armor, utensils of husbandry: aes sonit, franguntur hastae, the trumpet sounds, Enn. ap. Non. 504, 32 (Trag. v. 213 Vahl.): Et prior aeris erat quam ferri cognitus usus: Aere solum terrae tractabant, aereque belli Miscebant fluctus et vulnera vasta serebant, etc., Lucr. 5, 1287: quae ille in aes incidit, in quo populi jussa perpetuasque leges esse voluit, Cic. Phil. 1, 17; cf. id. Fam. 12, 1; Tac. A. 11, 14; 12, 53; id. H. 4, 40: aere (with the trumpet, horn) ciere viros, Verg. A. 6, 165: non tuba directi, non aeris cornua flexi, Ov. M. 1, 98 (hence also rectum aes, the tuba, in contr. with the crooked buccina, Juv. 2, 118); a brazen prow, Verg. A. 1, 35; the brazen age, Hor. Epod. 16, 64.—In plur.: aera, Cato ap. Paul. ex Fest. p. 27 Müll.; Verg. A. 2, 734; Hor. C. 4, 8, 2 al.—

Money: the first Roman money consisted of small rude masses of copper, called aes rude, Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 43; afterwards as coined: aes signatum, Cic. Leg. 3, 3; Plin. 33, 3, 13, § 43; so aes alone: si aes habent, dant mercem, Plaut. As. 1, 3, 49: ancilla aere suo empta, Ter. Phorm. 3, 2, 26: aes circumforaneum. borrowed from the brokers in the forum, Cic. Att. 2, 1: Hic meret aera liber Sosiis, earns them money, Hor. A. P. 345: gravis aere dextra, Verg. E. 1, 36: effusum est aes tuum, Vulg. Ez. 16, 36: neque in zona aes (tollerent), ib. Maarc. 6, 8: etiam aureos nummos aes dicimus, Dig. 50, 16, 159.—Hence,

Sometimes = as, the unit of the standard of money (cf. as); hence, aes grave, the old heary money (as weighed, not counted out): denis milibus aeris gravis reos condemnavit, Liv. 5, 12: indicibus dena milia aeris gravis, quae tum divitiae habebantur, data, id. 4, 60; so, aes alone and in the gen. sing., instead of assium: aeris miliens, triciens, a hundred millions, three millions, Cic. Rep. 3, 10: qui milibus aeris quinquaginta census fuisset, Liv. 24, 11.—Also for coins that are smaller than an as (quadrans, triens, etc.): nec pueri credunt, nisi qui nondum aere, i. e. quadrante, lavantur (those who bathed paid each a quadrans), Juv. 2, 152 (cf.: dum tu quadrante lavatum Rex ibis, Hor. S. 1, 3, 137).—

Wages, pay.

In plur.: aera, counters; hence also the items of a computed sum (for which, later, a sing. form aera, ae (q. v.), came into use): si aera singula probāsti, summam, quae ex his confecta sit, non probare? Cic. ap. Non. 3, 18.