Rome’s Wildest Ancient Coins Were Minted During an Imperial Meltdown Rome did not fall in 260 CE. However, it came close enough to terrify anyone who could read the signs. The empire staggered through the Crisis of the Third Century, a brutal half century... See more
Dioscuri Ancient Coins: Castor and Pollux Shine Across Greek and Roman Coinage By Mike Markowitz for CoinWeek Ancient coins carried stories. They also carried power. Few ancient coin types show that better than the Dioscuri. Greek artists called them the ... See more
Before Pennies, England Had Thrymsas: Tiny Gold Coins With a Huge Backstory After Rome’s power faded in western Europe, gold still spoke. Small gold coins moved through the ports, markets, and royal courts of the early Middle Ages. They crossed the Channe... See more
by Mike Markowitz Fig 1 Ancient Greeks loved wrestling . Cities celebrated champion wrestlers as hometown heroes. They raised statues in their honor. Even today, modern Greco-Roman wrestling still echoes that old tradition, although ancient wrestlers comp... See more
Chickens on Coins, the Bird That Changed the Ancient World Chickens may seem ordinary today. However, in antiquity, they carried deep meaning. Modern chickens descend from jungle fowl native to Southeast Asia. Archaeology shows that the Phoenicians introd... See more
