Pilgrim’s Ring and Coin of the Jewish War
This is the story of a ring, bought from an Arab in Jerusalem, the feasts of Shavout and Sukkot and a coin of the Jewish War…
Tag Archive for: Nations
Gold from Goldkronach
For centuries the mines of Goldkronach were extremely profitable. But then their abundance ebbed away. The Bavarian Kings were not willing to accept that and planned huge investments. A coin will tell you, what happened then.
Poets and their income: Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen
Beyond price – no, great art has never been beyond price. Quite the opposite actually – it had a clearly defined price. We will see just how high that price was, looking at the example of the German baroque poet Grimmelshausen. No one has left us with a more impressive account of the Thirty Years’ War.
Meyer Amschel Rothschild, court factor and coin dealer
Meyer Amschel Rothschild worked his way out of the Frankfurt Jewish ghetto and all the way up to court factor in the 18th century. He specialised in coin- and antiquities dealing before becoming the founder of a famous dynasty of bankers.
The Rue Mouffetard treasure
Every day, thousands of tourists stroll about the Rue Mouffetard, the “food alley” of Paris. Amongst aromatic cheese and huge sides of beef very few are aware that that one of the most spectacular coin treasures of the 18th century was found in house no. 51-53…
Cent, Nickel, Dime – what is depicted on American coinage and why?
Everybody all over the world is acquainted with the American dollar. But did you ever have a closer look at the three smallest denominations of US coinage? They represent the American conception of the world, too. At the risk of boring our constant readers from the United States, here is a short comment on the subjects pictured there…
In the emperor’s service – the legions
Do you sometimes dream of visiting the epoch when Roman legions dominated the world, in the same way as the time traveller of H. G. Wells? Of course it is impossible, but modern re-enactment gives you quite a good idea of what the soldiers once accomplished.
Between England and France – the Outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War
He was one of France’s most powerful kings, this Philip the Fair who humiliated the pope, crushed the Templars and humbled the Plantagenets. But 14 years after his death the house of the Capetians had ended. Now the question was: Who was to reign over mighty France?
The Anabaptists – an episode from the history of Münster
Anyone looking up the St. Lambert’s Church in Münster discovers above the church clock a kind of decoration that is more than peculiar. High above, for everyone to see, there are three iron cages suspended from the steeple. Their background story will be told today.
Human faces, part 49: Hindenburg
Why was the human head the motif on coins for centuries, no, for millennia? And why did that change in the last 200 years? This episode looks at the late years of a famous military leader: Paul von Hindenburg.
