Lira (plural lire) is the name of several
currency units. It is the
current currency of
Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of
Lebanon and
Syria. It is the former currency of
Italy,
Malta,
San Marino and the
Vatican City, all of which were replaced in 2002 with the
euro, and of
Israel, which replaced it with the
old shekel in 1980. The term originates from the value of a
Troy pound (Latin
libra) of high purity silver. The
libra was the basis of the monetary system of the Roman Empire. When Europe resumed a monetary system, during the
Carolingian Empire, the Roman system was adopted, the so-called
£sd (
librae,
solidi,
denarii).