Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A unit of weight or coin in Roman law weighing one pound and divisible into twelve unciae. It also denotes an entire inheritance or asset in Roman and civil law.
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Cases
Statutes
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Roman Coin Valuation
A merchant in ancient Rome weighs goods using the as. The standard as equals one pound and is divided into twelve unciae for fractional payments.
Inheritance Division
A Roman citizen dies leaving an estate. The heirs treat the entire inheritance as one as to calculate each person's share under civil law rules.
Debt Settlement
A debtor pays an obligation measured in asses. Twelve unciae make one full as, satisfying the debt exactly.
Asset Accounting
Under Roman law a testator designates the whole patrimony as a single as. This allows equal division among twelve heirs by unciae.
A lender calculates interest on a loan denominated in asses. The as serves as the base unit before subdivision into unciae.
Legacy Distribution
A will leaves an asset valued at one as. The legatee receives the full amount without further fractional reduction.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
2
What does the Latin term as denote in inheritance contexts?+
It refers to an entire inheritance or asset under Roman and civil law.
How was the as divided in Roman coinage?+
It was divisible into twelve unciae and used to calculate interest rates.
5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)Property
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