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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
112 views


What's new in ancient coin collecting?
The coins that are the subject of these Notes are often thousands of years old, so it is perhaps not surprising that much is unchanged in...

sulla80
Jul 26, 20244 min read
40 views


Sibling Rivalry
The two sons left by Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, both received the surname Antoninus, one from the army, the other from...

sulla80
Jul 15, 20244 min read
35 views


Stupor mundi / Wonder of the World
Detail from a 19th Century water color on paper depicting the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq. Accession Number XXIII-239 Salar Jung...

sulla80
Jul 7, 20248 min read
75 views


July 4, 1776
by Authority of the good People of these Colonies....these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States...

sulla80
Jul 4, 20244 min read
364 views


Prayers for Rain
The curious type of the Hydria is taken from the παράσημον (insignia) of the City of Crannon. It was customary in the time of drought ...

sulla80
Jul 3, 20243 min read
41 views


Nerva: Succession & Reign
Nerva was named by the Senate as emperor on the same day that Domitian which certainly opens suspicion that there was no shortage of plan...

sulla80
Jun 22, 20245 min read
1,002 views


Ulysses Returns
"Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there lifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears. . . It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus’ dog he...

sulla80
Jun 19, 20247 min read
334 views


Severina, Empress
Ulpia Severina Augusta, wife of Emperor Aurelian is not named in ancient literature, however the Historia Augusta mentions her: Clothing...

sulla80
Jun 16, 20244 min read
69 views


A Bird in the Hand
"Better one sparrow in thy hand than a thousand on the wing"
- Proverbs of Ahikar the Wise, 6th Century Assyria, #51

sulla80
Jun 9, 20244 min read
22 views


The Year of Six Emperors
"It so happened that the two men were not in complete accord: so great is the desire for sole rule and so contrary to the usual practice...

sulla80
Jun 8, 20244 min read
36 views


Greeks and Cattle
Humans have been making images of cattle for many millennia - this painting from Lascaux caves depicts aurochs (wild ancestors of...

sulla80
Jun 5, 20246 min read
169 views


Vikram Samvat Calendar
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...

sulla80
Jun 2, 20241 min read
109 views


De Peltae
My coin of interest today is a Roman Republican denarius from 103BC. The first one shown here was little used and well preserved from...

sulla80
May 23, 20245 min read
35 views


The Galvano Boys
Buying ancient coins can be particularly challenging for those just starting out. EBay is especially full of forgeries, copies,...

sulla80
May 20, 20246 min read
117 views


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
2,454 views


Acorn Eaters to Melting Pot
Where did the people of ancient Rome originate? How do we connect the varied myths of Rome's founding from Virgil's Aeneid to the...

sulla80
May 4, 20248 min read
72 views


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
67 views


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
95 views


Ancients and Solar Eclipses
Emperor Claudius: When the moon gets in a direct line with the sun over our heads and passes under its blazing orb, it obscures the rays...

sulla80
Apr 8, 20245 min read
121 views
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