By the 3rd century BC, the geopolitical landscape had fractured. Alexander the Great was dead, and his Successors (the Diadochi) were tearing his empire apart. In this chaos, the independent city-state (polis) was no longer enough to ensure survival.

Ahilyabai Holkar (1725–1795) is a luminous figure in Indian history, a "Philosopher Queen" who ruled the Maratha state of Indore with a rare blend of piety and administrative genius. Born in a village in Ahmednagar, she married into the powerful Holkar dynasty but faced early tragedy, losing her husband Khanderao in battle in 1754. Khanderao Holkar was inspecting his troops in an open palanquin when he was struck and killed by a cannonball fired from the Jat artillery during

A genuine ancient coin that has survived from 90 BCE and the "Social War" serves as a truth from that time. Everything else we "know" about this coin is "knowledge": what we write down, argue about, and base decisions on - i.e. the story we tell about that truth....

All of today's coins are from the Rauceby Hoard or more precisely PAS Coin Hoard Unique ID: LIN-F6D516. For many of the coins in this collection, the questions of "where were the found & when" will never be known. For the coins from today's notes, we know a lot about them thanks the the UK Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) managed by the British Museum that records archaeological objects found by the public to advance historical ...

M. Antonius Polemon (active AD 50–54) was the grandson of Polemon I and a great-grandson of the orator Zenon. He remained in the family's home city of Laodicea. He was a high-ranking Priest (Hiereus) and city official. He is also the great-great-grandson of Mark Antony by way Polemon I (the magistrate's grandfather) who married Pythodoris (the magistrate's great grandmother), the daughter of Antonia who was the daughter of Mark Antony. The Coin Phrygia, Laodicea. Claudius (AD

This silver double shekel (23 mm; 15.78 g; die axis 2h) belongs to the Babylonian series conventionally known as the “Baal / lion” coinage, struck at Babylon...

In " A Journey Through the Kingdom of Oude, in 1849-1850 ", Sir William Henry Sleeman, describes the violent scene of July 8, 1837, in which the British put Muhammad Ali Shah on the throne in Awadh (Oudh). The previous King, Nasir-ud-Din Haidar, died just before midnight. The Queen Mother, Padshah Begum, immediately launched an attempt to put her ward or grandson, Munna Jan, on the throne, whom she claimed was the rightful heir.  Colonel Low and British troops stormed the p

Akragas was the last of the major Greek colonies established in Sicily, founded circa 580 BC by settlers from Gela, who were themselves of Rhodian and Cretan origin. Situated on the southern coast between the rivers Akragas and Hypsas, the city occupied a strategic plateau that offered natural defenses and access to fertile hinterlands. For the first century of its existence, Akragas grew wealthy on agriculture - olives, grapes, and grain - and the breeding of horses, for whi

The New Year’s kiss is one of the most famous holiday traditions around. It can be a sweet way to ring in the new year with a partner, the slightly awkward result of too many glasses of Champagne, or the thrilling start of a new romance . - The New Year’s Eve Kiss Tradition, Explained , by Gia Yetikyel and Anna Grace Lee, December 27, 2025 Venus, goddess of Love, on the obverse of a denarius from the Roman Republic, 81 BCE For the link between the New Year's kiss and Roman Sa

The Battle at Actium in 31 BC, an early Roman Imperial monument, marble relief, first half of the 1st century A.D. (extensively restored in the 16th or 17th century) from the Collection of the Dukes of Cardona, Cordoba. Public Domain image via the Wikimedia Commons . Today's coin was issued in Antioch and comes with the story of the governor of Syria, blocking a team of gladiators from supporting Mark Antony after Actium. Anthony and Cleopatra died in August of 30 BC and the

John Of Gaunt (1340-1399) Duke Of Lancaster, Engraving, 1736, by George Vertue. A "Conder token" is a little out of place on this blog, however we will make an exception as this token comes with : some interesting history from the time of the French Revolution which drew inspiration like the American revolution from the history of the Roman Republic, a dynastic series of coins that clearly owe key elements of their style and dynastic succession to rules that were established

The “Third Democracy” is a classification used for the coins of Syracuse. This is specifically applied to coinage struck under Timoleon (ca. 344-317 BC). Coins from this era are routinely labeled “Timoleon and the Third Democracy” in auction catalogs. It is probably worth noting that “Third Democracy” is a modern analytical label, not an ancient one. The term applied to this coin from Syracuse prompted today's exploration of the tyrants and democracies of Syracuse...

Today's coin comes with several interesting connections: Herakles shipwreaked on Kos and the imagery of this coin Herakles' Second Labor (The Hydra) and the imagery on the reverse A seventh wonder of the world - the tomb of Maussolus built during the time of this coin. Herakles Detail from Hercule et l'Hydre de Lerne, 1876, oil on canvas, Gustave Moreau( 1826–1898), Public domain, via Art Institute Chicago According to legend, Herkles was shipwrecked on Kos after the Trojan W

Nero, 13.41 gram Billion Tetradrachm 24mm, Regnal Year 11 (64/65 CE)  The Prefect of Egypt at this time was Gaius Caecina Tuscus (served AD 63–66). To fund the rebuilding of Rome and Nero’s "Golden House" (Domus Aurea), Egypt’s role as the empire’s breadbasket became critical. Grain requisitions (annona) and tax collection were aggressively enforced by the prefect Caecina Tuscus, leading to reported civil unrest and flight from villages to avoid taxation. Unlike many of his p

Detail from the best example of this coin that I could find ex CNG. The Assassination of Caracalla In early April of 217, the emperor Caracalla was on the move in northern Syria, traveling between Edessa and Carrhae to visit a local sanctuary of the moon god. Herodian, writing as a contemporary bureaucrat, describes the emperor stepping away from the column with a handful of attendants, drowsy from the pace of the march and the monotony of the road. "[ Herodian 4.13.4 ] At t

2025 has been a better than average year across the board. 2024 wrapped up with surgery and a year later I am fully recovered with a very low chance of recurrence. On the coin front, I sold more than 150 coins and didn't add very many. I may have been more selective in buying this year - opting for quality over quantity - but it also feels like there were fewer coins available that I was interested in. Still no shortage of nice coins added this year. There is a long list o

Ptolemy V Epiphanes (c. 210 - May 180 BCE) died unexpectedly at the age of 30, leaving the kingdom in a precarious state. His reign had been marked by native Egyptian revolts, the loss of overseas territories, and a heavy reliance on the goodwill of Rome. His heir, Ptolemy VI Philometor, was a child of only six years upon his accession in 180 BC. The survival of the dynasty depended entirely on the stability of the regency. Cleopatra I "Syra as regent Initially, the regency w

2nd/3rd Century CE relief showing a Kushan King (probably Huvishka) making a donation to Buddha (a Bodhisattva). Museo d'Arte Orientale, in the historic 18th-century seat of Palazzo Mazzonis, Torino, Italy Huvishka, the documented successor of Kanishka I, ruled for more than three decades. His reign is best reconstructed from inscriptions and an exceptionally rich coinage. What stands out from his reign is an imperial mint that deployed a broad pantheon on coins, a shift of m

In the late fourth to early third century BC, amid the shifting alliances and hard-fought wars that would determine the destiny of southern Italy, the Greek city of Neapolis struck a series of silver nomoi whose beauty and symbolism remain among the most evocative of Magna Graecia. This coin preserves the identity of an independent Greek polis negotiating the rise of Roman power, preserving local myth, and asserting civic pride through images deeply rooted in Neapolitan memor

National Archaeological Museum of Naples. From Boscoreale, Villa of P. Fannius Synistor. Personifications of Macedonia (on the left) and Persia (or Asia, seated); or possibly a representation of the Macedonian ruler (see the circular shield with a star), or Antigonus Gonatas and his mother Phila. Public Domain image via Wikimedia Commons . According to Greek belief, Pan could cause irrational terror in humans and animals, especially when his midday rest was disturbed. His sud