Legal Definitions - arsura

Arsura

Arsura is a historical process of testing coins for their purity. It involves heating the coins and measuring the loss in weight. This process was used to ensure that the coins were made of the correct amount of metal and were not counterfeit.

During the Roman Empire, arsura was used to test the purity of gold coins. The coins were heated and weighed before and after the process. If the weight loss was within an acceptable range, the coins were considered pure and of good quality.

In medieval Europe, arsura was used to test the purity of silver coins. The coins were heated and weighed, and the loss in weight was used to determine the amount of impurities in the coins.

These examples illustrate how arsura was used to ensure the quality and purity of coins. By testing the coins in this way, people could be sure that they were not being cheated or given counterfeit coins.