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RR Family Propaganda
This coin is my latest RR denarius a story of family propaganda from ancient Rome in the run-up to and early phases of the Caesar–Pompey...

sulla80
Aug 96 min read
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Roman Republican Control Marks
Richard Witschonke’s 2012 article, published in the Revue Belge de Numismatique , tackles a long-standing puzzle in Roman Republican...

sulla80
Jul 194 min read
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Auction Formats, Bidding Behavior, and Price Outcomes
Auctions are the main place to buy rare collectibles such as coins and fine art, and auction design and behavioral factors can impact final prices. A number of questions captured my attention today...

sulla80
Jul 1015 min read
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Calidius x2 with Provenance
Today's coins are 2 denarii from 116-117 BC from the Roman republic. They are beautifully toned and well executed examples with more...

sulla80
May 305 min read
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Pompey the Great
Head of Pompey the Great, 1st century AD, Marble, 41 cm tall, from the Tomb of the Licinii, Via Salaria, currently at the Ny Carlsberg...

sulla80
Apr 267 min read
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Quattuorviri Monetales
Suetonius describes how Julius Caesar broke all norms with his return to Rome in 46 BC, after defeating the Pompeians in North Africa. ...

sulla80
Mar 275 min read
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The Founding of Lanuvium
While Lavinium was building, the following omens are said to have appeared to the Trojans. When a fire broke out spontaneously in the ...

sulla80
Mar 214 min read
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Cornelius-Lentulus
Circa 50 BCE, Marcellinus struck coins honoring his ancestor, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, victor over Viridomarus and conqueror of Syracuse..

sulla80
Mar 1510 min read
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A bird in the hand
Antiochus III was defeated by the Romans in two successive defeats, first at Thermopylae and afterward in Magensia and forced to accept ...

sulla80
Mar 73 min read
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Sulla Relinquishes the Dictatorship
Juno-Sospita-Antefix (Latium, c.500-480 BC), Altes Museum, Berlin, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, used under CC BY 2.0...

sulla80
Feb 226 min read
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Imitative Denarius of the Eravisci
The Eravisci  were a Celtic tribe that settled in the region later known as Pannonia, corresponding broadly to parts of modern-day...

sulla80
Feb 202 min read
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Italy and Rome: The World Turned Upside Down
Rome turned against its allies and against itself, redefining the Roman city-state, and paving the way for future upheavals...

sulla80
Feb 1514 min read
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Sextus Pompey
The Civil War between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great ended with Pompey's assassination shortly after his defeat...

sulla80
Jan 258 min read
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Petillius and the Capitoline Temple
There is little known about the moneyer of today's coin of interest, Petillius Capitolinus, one of the last moneyers to strike independent..

sulla80
Jan 158 min read
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Sulla Portrait Coin
In Melville's Moby Dick, Captain Ahab stands in his boat, harpoon in hand, and in the final moments of his chase of the great white whale...

sulla80
Jan 114 min read
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The 3rd Punic War
It could be argued that the Roman Republic reached its peak in the second half of the 2nd century BCE. The final war with Carthage...

sulla80
Dec 19, 20247 min read
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Civil War Money, 42 BC
After Caesar's assassination (42 BC) as the triumvirate prepared to avenge his death, this denarius of C. Vibius Varus was issued.

sulla80
Nov 24, 20244 min read
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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
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Triumphs of Augustus
Augustus' refusal to celebrate personal triumphs after his triple triumph in 29 BCE cultivated imperial image and shifted power dynamics.

sulla80
Nov 16, 20246 min read
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The Historian & Moneyer
I can imagine that there are probably not a lot of individuals who are going to add a copy of T.J. Cornell 's The Fragments of the Roman...

sulla80
Oct 4, 20243 min read
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