sulla80
Transition of Power
Democracy is fragile. The Roman Republic became an autocratic empire when loyalty to individuals became more important than the rule of...
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sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 3 min
Julius Caesar in Antioch
In 66 BC, during The Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BC) between the Roman Republic and Mithridates VI of Pontus, Pompey “The Great” took...
106 views
sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 3 min
Dating Caracalla
No, not that "Dating" I realize my title may be a bit ambiguous, this thread has nothing to do with Caracalla's love life, or Plautilla...
12 views
sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 1 min
Aristotle on Mytilene
Aristotle lived on Mytilene during the period in which these coins were minted. The dates are variously reported, somewhere between...
26 views
sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 1 min
Invite to a Birthday
During the time of Trajan in Roman Britain, AD 97-103, this is what an invitation to a birthday party looked like. From Vindolanda, a...
7 views
sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 3 min
Greeks, Wolves, and Cleopatra?
Public Domain Image Some of my favorite coins have been random auction finds, rather than the result of careful planning. This coin is in...
18 views
sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 4 min
Prusias II and the Roman Republic
Prusias II, King of Bithynia, Reduced to Begging (Public Domain Image, with thanks to the Getty Museum Open Content Program) In a...
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sulla80
- Sep 19, 2020
- 3 min
Sibylline Books
Suetonius, Julius Caesar, 79.3 The Sibylline books were consulted by Romans from the time of the republic through to the end of the...
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sulla80
- Sep 11, 2020
- 4 min
Romans vs. Parthians
After a number of diversions in Anatolia, and a bit of a Roman Republican drought, this week I added another Roman Republican coin to my...
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sulla80
- Sep 8, 2020
- 3 min
Cappadocia : Vespasian Hemidrachm
With the evolving global pandemic, it seems unlikely that much leisure travel will be part of my near term plans. The phrase, "may you...
18 views
sulla80
- Sep 7, 2020
- 4 min
Make Haste Slowly
The coin I write about today starts with a symbol that take on new meaning as we move from this mosaic in the Trident House in Delos,...
85 views
sulla80
- Sep 7, 2020
- 3 min
Mt. Argaeus, Gordian III, and Shapur I
In the words of Tom Petty, “even the losers get lucky sometimes”. You have to love an auction where you lose and still get the coin you ...
27 views
sulla80
- Sep 7, 2020
- 3 min
Perseus, St. Paul, and Antoninus Pius
What do Perseus, St. Paul, and Antoninus Pius have in common? My coin of interest this week is another AE from Asia Minor, the Roman...
36 views
sulla80
- Sep 7, 2020
- 3 min
Tropaion : Turning Point to Victory
This "Greek" coin from Pergamon is the coin of interest for this week. Mysia, Pergamon, 159-133 BC, Æ (16.6mm,5.36g, 12h) Obv: Helmeted...
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sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 4 min
Between a rock and a hard place
I will start the story of this coin with Homer's Odyssey, and the passage where Odysseus and his crew are navigating between Charybdis, a...
25 views
sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 2 min
Roma, She-wolf and Twins
It's been a while since I last purchased a Roman republican coin. Although my interest hasn't moved away - the coins that I am looking...
48 views
sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 3 min
Pontic Olbia: Greek and Scythian
Greeks and Scythians were different cultures, my most recent coin comes from the intersection of these cultures at Olbia. Plutarch shares...
84 views
sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 4 min
The Votive Deposit in Field 49
As I was updating this post, written earlier this year, I stumbled on a 2014 blog entry with a photo that seems to be the two votive...
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sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 2 min
A Rare Roman Provincial
Rare is not rare in Roman Provincials, and affordable condition and rarity are benefits of wandering off the most well worn paths of...
17 views
sulla80
- Sep 6, 2020
- 2 min
Lydian Moon God - Meis Axiottenos
Mēn, illustrated in this marble Roman relief from the 2nd Century AD, is the Moon god of Roman Anatolia, perhaps connected with the...
86 views
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