added by archaeologs
These tokens known as tesserae, meaning "tile" were evidence of your entitlements. They were often evidence of your entanglements under the Roman authority of the world of Rome.
http://www.preparingyou.com/wiki/Tesserae
added by archaeologs A variety of objects are given the Latin label “tesserae” by modern scholars: mosaic pieces, lead monetiform objects, spintriae, and small circular objects made out of bone or ivory, like the piece pictured above.
https://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/numismatics/entry/lets_play_with/