Due to its weight being almost equivalent to the as, from which it differed not only in the alloy of the metal but also in the emperor’s effigy—which from Nero onward was depicted with a laurel wreath (whereas the as bore a radiate head)—this small coin ceased to be minted in the time of Antoninus Pius (138–161). In the Vulgate, *dipendius* (classical Latin *dupondius*) appears as the equivalent of the Greek ἀσκάσια δύο, “two asses” (Lk 12:6).
Bibl.: Eckhel, *Doctr. num.* V, 31; Sambon, *Les anc. monnaies de l’Italie*, p. 265.