E. Babelon, Coinage of the Roman Republic, 1885 The Coin Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), circa 32 to 31 BC AR denarius (3.39 g, 19 mm), legionary mint moving with the army in western Greece, probably Patrai Obv: ANT AVG III VIR R P C, praetorian galley right, a filleted scepter on the prow Rev: CHORTIS SPECVLATORVM, three standards, each hung with two wreaths and a ship's prow Ref: Crawford 544/12; Babelon, Antonia 103; Sydenham 1214 Cabinet toning, banker's mark on the obvers

The city of Elis administered the sanctuary of Olympia and the Olympic games for most of antiquity. Sulla plundered the sanctuary's treasures in 86 BC to pay his armies during his War with Mithridates of Pontus...

The Heracles Papyrus (Oxford, Sackler Library, Oxyrhynchus Pap. 2331), a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript of a poem about the Labors of Heracles. Public Domain Image via WikimediaCommons. Before I dive in, a confession: I like books. Old, slightly yellowed books especially. This note started with a single question: Are books dead? By the end, you won't get a simple "yes" or "no", however, you will get a tour through ancient Latin words and a few data points. A Roman

When I read about the men who presided over the end of the Roman Republic, Caesar, Pompey, Antony, Octavian, Cassius, Brutus, the same question echoes: who was good and who was bad? I want to choose sides with Brutus. He was on the side of liberty - was he not? His coins say so in so many words - protecting Rome from the tyranny of Caesar. And then there are the events in Lycia, which question the practice of sorting historical figures into good and bad. Marc Antony's Oration