Browse Items (81 total)

This coin is likely from the reign of one of Constantine's children. The REVERSE, with VOT XX MULT XXX (the emperor vows to rule for 20 years and will renew for another 30), is found on the REVERSE of coins issued by Constantine I, Constans,…

This coin was minted during the time of one of the most famous attempts at Persian expansion, around the beginning of the fifth century BCE. The Battle of Marathon, where Darius I attempted to gain control of mainland Greece, is one of the most…

Aegina was the first island in Greece proper to mint coinage, around 580 BCE. The iconic turtle was always part of the design, first a sea turtle and then a land turtle. The sea turtle was likely a reference to their naval fleet which, from the…

Samnium was located between the silver minting Greek colonies of the south and the colonies of the north that favored bronze. This prime location meant that these middle cities-states did not mint their own coinage until relatively late, around 290…

Alexander III of Macedon is more commonly known as Alexander the Great. A powerful and very successful military leader, Alexander’s gold coinage is symbolic of his kingship over a unified Greek state against the Persian barbarians.

The helmeted…

Antiochia-on-the-river-Orantes was fouded by Seleucus I Nicator in honor of his father Antiochus. The western Seleucid Empire used this city as its capital and its mint became one of the most important in the empire. Antioch was a very large city for…

Antiochus II inherited the throne from his father, Antiochus I, when the Seleucid Empire was in the throes of defeat. Pergamum, the victor, was a burgeoning kingdom that would grow over the next hundred years at the expense of the Seleucids. This…

Antoninus Pius was the longest reigning emperor since Augustus, taking power in 138 CE, after being adopted by Hadrian, and reigning relatively peacefully until his death in 161 CE. He was a largely successful emperor whose reign was celebrated by…

Aspendos in Pamphylia was a Greek colony founded by the Argives on the modern-day southern coast of Turkey. In the fifth century BCE, the city began minting coins according to the Persian standard - a different weight system that determined the value…

The Athenian “owl” is one of the most recognizable coins of the ancient world. First minted in 515 BCE, the “owl,” featuring Athena on the obverse and, her symbol, the owl, on the reverse, was continually minted by the Athenians until they gave up…