Sicilian Mosaic Part 12: Naxos and Leontinoi
Naxos was the first Greek city founded on Sicily. Today we take a look at its coins, as well as the coins of Leontinoi, founded by Naxos, and Catane.
Tag Archive for: Antiquity
Emperor Probus – Numismatic images of his reign
On September 14, 2018, the Philippe Gysen collection of barracks emperors’ antoniniani will be auctioned off at Paul-Francis Jacquier. The collection proves that one single person can advance research if he chooses his collecting field wisely.
The Colts of Corinth
This beautiful early stater of Corinth bears Pegasus on its obverse. The winged horse was the symbol of Corinth and each citizen of this important seaport felt the whole city and himself connected with this winged horse. Why did he do so and how did this connection come into being?
The sacrilege of Tarpeia – or propaganda under Augustus
Augustus’ reign went down in history as a Golden Age even though hardly any other emperor had more lives on his conscience. How did the “Prince of Peace” who continuously fought wars make his citizens believe that they lived in the happiest of all worlds?
Shipping and superstition in antiquity
Sailors faced many dangers. But the superstitious people found a way to deal with that, and many deities and animals assisted the humans on the sea. A coin from Kyzikos tells of all this, a coin minted on the visit of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Human Faces Part 9: The Battle of Macedonia against Rome
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? This chapter of the series ‘Human Faces’ looks at the battle between Macedonia and Rome.
Postumus – The creator of the Gallic Empire
Alemanni, Juthungi, Franks, and Sassanians attack the Roman world. Postumus seizes the moment and establishes the Gallic Empire. We will tell the story of his coins on the basis of a comprehensive special collection which will be sold at the upcoming Jacquier Auction.
The Treveri – the tribe which Treves was named after
On 8 October 2018, the first part of the Dr W. R. collection “Celtic world and Celtic money” will be liquidated in Künker auction 312. We use the ample material provided by the collection to present the history and the coins of the Celtic Treveri tribe.
Honni soit qui mal y pense or What exactly was the spintriae’s function?
One has to pay high prices indeed for the so-called spintriae – brothel tokens as one is secretly whispered to. There are experts who know exactly what the function of these objects was…
The sacred year of the Pagans – the Saecular Games
When the Pope declares a jubilee year, he stands in a tradition which is almost as old as Christianity itself. It was Augustus who created the practice of absolving mankind when nobody was still alive of those who had witnessed the beginning of the previous saeculum…
