The Vikrama Samvat is a Hindu luni-solar calendar, which means it is based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year. It has...

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)...

"Harun al-Rashid receiving a delegation of Charlemagne in Baghdad", oil on canvas by Julius Köckert (1827–1918), 1864, held by the...

Baybars I was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria from the Bahri dynasty, of Turkic Kipchak origin. Islamic, Mamluks, al-Zahir...

The ancient Romans, celebrated a feast on March 31st, in the Temple of Luna on the Aventine Hill to honor the Moon Goddess, a cult...

This 1831 mezzotint print depicts the battle of Ascalon (circa CE 1192), with Richard I King of England, on a white charger, wielding an...

This Islamic coin captured my interest with it's unusual highlight of "lillah" in an eye shape with dots from the 14th century (Note:...

I have accumulated a few coins from ancient India. Today's post shares several and focuses on the Buddhist symbols on a particularly...

Page of the Rajatarangini in Sarada script (Public Domain Source: River of Kings, 1935) Having just returned (and still jet-lagged) from...

The capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty (Алматы), formerly known as Alma Ata, has a name derived from the word Apple (Алма). "Apples,...

This small illustration of ringdoves in the tree trunk and lotus blossom incorporates the influence of Chinese naturalism. The text was...

The winged bull's head crown of this Nezak Shah is worth a closer look. These eastern neighbors to the Sasanians left behind many coins,...

Today's post shares more coins than usual. All of these coins are linked to the Mongol khans. Perhaps the best known Mongol leader is...

Today's post wanders into the middle ages during the time of the crusades. The crusades were a series of wars between Christians and...

Although countermarked Byzantine coins are not usually something I seek out, I couldn't resist this one. It was described in the auction...

Cowrie shells appear as items of value and ceremony in the far western inland of China during the Neolithic era. Use became widespread...

These pages are literally my "Notes"- and this one is not much more than a few thoughts jotted down to pick up at another time. I have...

Money comes in all shapes and sizes, and these coins are not the usual Roman or Greek, denarius, AE, drachm, or tetradrachm that I have...

Roman Thermae at Hamat Gader, under Israeli control a few kilometers from the Jordanian border. These Springs were restored and reopened...

Modern coin collectors often seek mint state perfection. "NGC defines a Mint State or Proof 70 (PF-70) coin as having no post-production...