Human Faces Part 3: The Nymph of the Spring Arethusa
For centuries the nymph Arethusa had been the beautiful face of the city of Syracuse. Here you will get information why she figured on the Syracusan coins.
Tag Archive for: Antiquity
Human Faces Part 1: The Father of the Gods, Zeus, in Olympia
Why is it that for centuries – or rather thousands of years – the head has served as the motif for the side of a coin? And why has this changed in the last 200 years? Ursula Kampmann poses these questions in her book ‘MenschenGesichter,’” from which the texts for our new series are taken.
Agrippa’s Meeting of Kings at Tiberias
Josephus tells us of a most interesting meeting in Tiberias, apparently convened by Agrippa I (37-44 CE), grandson of Herod the Great, probably around 42 CE…
The courtesan Laïs in Corinth
Sex sells. That is common knowledge to the yellow press and tour guides alike, as early as ancient times. Already the Corinthians cashed in on that and promoted a tourist attraction of a particular kind: the tomb of the famous courtesan Laïs…
Manual to identify Roman coins
England’s Portable Antiquities Scheme is the most successful program on coin finds world-wide. No other country has won so many supporters to …
How to detect forgeries
Part 3: Electrotypes
The last two parts on news from the forgery front have dealt with fakes that have been produced by newly cut dies and with cast fakes. This part is dedicated to a third kind of fakes: the electrotypes.
You will surely recognize …
Drusus and Sejanus – Roman Rules of Succession to the throne
At the death of Augustus the Roman polity was not a hereditary monarchy. The power over the Romans was not transferred automatically …
The Puteal Scribonis
Most probably every collector of Roman Republican coins is aware of the pieces of Scribonius Libo showing the Puteal Scribonis. But hands up anyone who really knows what that is…
The People of Zurich and their Money 1: The Celts’ First Contact with Greek Money
Our series ‘The People of Zurich and their Money’ takes you along for the ride as we explore the Zurich of times past. In this first chapter, we’ll be eavesdropping on a conversation from the 3rd century BC between a Celtic farmer and his wife. Much like a good DVD, this conversation comes with a sort of ‘making of’ – a little numismatic-historical backdrop to help underscore and illustrate this conversation.
Rediscovery of Celtic gold in Brentonico
Helmut Rizzolli presents three Celtic gold coins which were found in Tyrol in the 19th century. A hundred years ago, a museum used them to pay off their heating bills, now they have reappeared on the collector’s market and can finally be analysed and interpreted.
