top of page


A Crown of Deified Emperors
Kilikarch wearing a crown of busts, from the Adana Museum. Photo by E. Borgia c. 2018. The Kilikarchia was a provincial magistracy in the Roman province of Cilicia during the mid-2nd to mid-3rd century AD, as evidenced by epigraphic and numismatic sources. Today's coin from Cilicia is one of those numismatic sources from Tarsus, Cilicia issued in the name of Elagabalus. This is a very rare Roman Provincial coin, with about 10 known, that refers to the administration of the

sulla80
Jan 2, 20255 min read


Water God from a Dry Land
While this is not the prettiest coin - it is an interesting coin with a water-god and a fish on the reverse of a coin, from an place,...

sulla80
Dec 27, 20243 min read


Pomegranates
Today's note is all about the pomegranate and more than 300 years of coins from Side (Σίδη), Pamphylia (Παμφυλία). For those who would...

sulla80
Dec 22, 20245 min read


Saturnalia Gift
Saturnalia in Red: an AI generated abstract image evoking the spirit of Saturnalia. Saturnalia is December 17th. I was excited to open...

sulla80
Dec 17, 20244 min read


Balakros son of Nikanor
Cilicia was a Persian military base in the 4th century BC and after Alexander defeated Achaemennid King Darius III at Issos it was...

sulla80
Nov 23, 20245 min read


2024 - Top 10 Ancients
2024 has had ups and downs - it seems that every year I start with same thought. This has been an unusual year with and earth quake,...

sulla80
Nov 20, 202410 min read


Anatolian Beyliks
The Seljuks of Rum, who ruled over much of Anatolia from the late 11th century, faced increasing pressure from the Mongol invasions...

sulla80
Nov 2, 202411 min read


Mazaeus, Satrap of Cilicia
Today's coin of interest was minted by Mazaeus who served as Satrap of Cilicia for Darius III of Persia and for Alexander III who...

sulla80
Oct 27, 20244 min read


A Ram from Kebren
The site of Kebren is located in the central area of the Troad, on the slopes of Çal Dağ, which translates to "mountain of shrubs", a weste

sulla80
Oct 17, 20243 min read


Temple of Artemis, Ephesus
Paul the Apostle (2BC–64/65) stayed in Ephesus for about two and a half years from 53-56 BCE. In Acts 19.24-28 there is a story of Paul...

sulla80
Jul 27, 20245 min read


Mustafa II - Ottoman Empire
Mustafa II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. He ascended to the throne late in the The Great Turkish War (1683-1699)...

sulla80
May 11, 20246 min read


Romans in Bithynia
This first coin was issued during the turbulent times of the Gracchi brothers, with unrest between the social reformers and the...

sulla80
Apr 27, 20247 min read


Arca Ferrata
Henri de Longpérier, in his book about "money containers", detailed two excellently preserved chests discovered in Pompeii in 1868. "The...

sulla80
Apr 13, 20243 min read


Gerousia
Demos (the people), Boule (the city council), and Gerousia (the council of elders) can be found as personifications of municipal...

sulla80
Mar 23, 20247 min read


Coins about Voting
Voting with pebbles detail from an Attic Red-Figured Kylix, 490–480 BC, attributed to the Brygos Painter, active about 490 - 470 BC....

sulla80
Mar 3, 20243 min read


Capitolia Heliopolitana
The Capitolia were games (held every 4 years) established by Domitian in 86 AD in Rome. "In 86 AD, emperor Domitian organized the first...

sulla80
Feb 17, 20244 min read


Tigranes II Overstrike
At first the "headdress" on this coin caught my attention - what is going on here? This coin is an interesting strike by Tigranes II over...

sulla80
Feb 10, 20244 min read


Tears of Chios
On my way to India this past week, I had a short layover in Athens. Sadly, on this trip, I only saw the Athens airport, where I picked up...

sulla80
Feb 3, 20244 min read


Seleucid usurper in Asia Minor
One of my sub-collections is a set of coins of the Seleucid kings. This collection is a mix of bronze and silver coins that is now up to...

sulla80
Jan 27, 20245 min read


Latin Rulers of Constantinople
Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, had conquered Jerusalem in AD 1187. Pope Innocent III launched the Fourth Crusade in AD 1202 with the goal of ...

sulla80
Jan 19, 20242 min read
bottom of page
