It's very doubtful to me that the word "
litra" is correct. Much more likely, these small bronze coins were simply fractions of the
Aes Grave cast coinage system, as they come in
weights of 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 ounce, and the
Aes Grave coinage generally
had denominations from As down to
Semuncia (1/2 ounce). So this coin would be 1/8 ounce coin. That's my view, which differs from their long term designation as "
Litra", which presume them to be overvalued token bronze coinage on the Sicilian model, whereby bronze coins
had value names that indicate a relationship to the silver coinage.
Litra, the word, is from the same stem as Libra, i.e. pound, would suggest a
denomination of a (light) Sicilian pound of bronze, which sometimes equates in value to a small silver coin in
Sicily weighing about 1/12
didrachm (about 0.6 grams) so by this definition, a
Litra = an
Obol. But it hardly stands up to scrutiny that such a tiny bronze coin, weighing 3.375 grams, could have been equivalent to a 0.6 gram silver
obol. It would imply a massive overvaluation of bronze that just does not seem credible.
So. throw out the Litras, and call these coins 1/8 ounce pieces, and I think we have a sensible answer.
