Semuncia

Luceria was one of the earliest Roman colonies in Apulia, planted there in 314 BC specifically to anchor Roman control over a strategically exposed region. The city produced its own bronze fractional coinage under Roman authority during the Second Punic War and its immediate aftermath — a period when Hannibal had ravaged much of the Italian south and local monetary supply chains were badly disrupted. These small bronzes filled a real gap in everyday exchange when the broader Roman monetary system was under severe strain.

The semuncia, worth half an uncia, is the smallest denomination in this municipal series.