Quadrilateral Pieces 上市 Deposited
A general name given to the so-called Roman Quadrussis and Quincussis, on account of their rec- tangular shape.
These curious coins bear on them repre- sentations of objects of exchange or sym- bols and allusions to the victories of the Roman armies. One of the animals de- picted on a variety of these coins is an elephant in connection with the battle of Asculum, B.C. 279, which circumstance would fix the approximate date of these pieces, as the elephant was unknown to the Romans before that time.
The Quadrussis and Quincussis weighed respectively four and five Roman pounds.
- Frey's Dictionary (American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 50, 1916)