Heavy Construction

The Allen and Greenough is still under construction; so some links may not work quite the way you would expect.



634.

The séstertium (probably originally the genitive plural of séstertius depending on mílle) was a sum of money, not a coin; the word is inflected regularly as a neuter noun: thus, tria séstertia = $ 150.00.

When séstertium is combined with a numeral adverb, centéna mília, hundreds of thousands, is to be understood: thus deciéns séstertium (deciéns HS) = deciéns centéna mília séstertium = $ 50,000. Séstertium in this combination may also be inflected: deciéns séstertií, séstertió, etc.

In the statement of large sums séstertium is often omitted as well as centéna mília: thus sexágiéns (Rosc. Am. 2) signifies, sexágiéns [centéna mília séstertium] = 6,000,000 sesterces = $ 300,000(nearly).