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A Stater from Kroton
Kroton (aka Croton, which today is modern Crotone in Calabria, Italy) was founded around 710 BC by Achaean Greek settlers, according ...
sulla80
Mar 114 min read
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Pomegranates
Today's note is all about the pomegranate and more than 300 years of coins from Side (Σίδη), Pamphylia (Παμφυλία). For those who would...
sulla80
Dec 22, 20245 min read
57 views


Balakros son of Nikanor
Cilicia was a Persian military base in the 4th century BC and after Alexander defeated Achaemennid King Darius III at Issos it was...
sulla80
Nov 23, 20245 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
181 views

Thracian Wine & Coins
A nice glass of red wine would go well with today's post. There is evidence of wine making in Thrace from 4300 BC. The coins of interest...
sulla80
Nov 1, 20246 min read
153 views

Mazaeus, Satrap of Cilicia
Today's coin of interest was minted by Mazaeus who served as Satrap of Cilicia for Darius III of Persia and for Alexander III who...
sulla80
Oct 27, 20244 min read
52 views

A Ram from Kebren
The site of Kebren is located in the central area of the Troad, on the slopes of Çal Dağ, which translates to "mountain of shrubs", a weste
sulla80
Oct 17, 20243 min read
33 views


Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
When is a coin ancient? and when medieval? and when modern? In my notes, I am often crossing these categories, although Roman Republic...
sulla80
Jul 28, 20243 min read
25 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
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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
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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, 20245 min read
156 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
62 views

New City hemidrachm
Phorcys and Ceto were the father and mother of the Gorgons (Phorycides), three sisters, Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa. When Perseus killed...
sulla80
Apr 7, 20246 min read
464 views


Numismatics & Generative AI
There are multiple versions of the story of Pandora. Hesiod, who is thought to have lived between 750 and 650 BC, describes the creation...
sulla80
Mar 31, 20247 min read
100 views

Seuthes III
Today's coin is from an obscure King, from Odrysia a part of Thrace. Comparing the portrait on the coin with the bronze head of Seuthes...
sulla80
Mar 28, 20244 min read
116 views


Gerousia
Demos (the people), Boule (the city council), and Gerousia (the council of elders) can be found as personifications of municipal...
sulla80
Mar 23, 20247 min read
96 views

Where are all the Spartan coins?
In antiquity, the city-state of Lacedaemon (Λακεδαίμων) with Sparta as its main settlement on the banks of the Eurotas River was located ...
sulla80
Mar 2, 20243 min read
151 views

Capitolia Heliopolitana
The Capitolia were games (held every 4 years) established by Domitian in 86 AD in Rome. "In 86 AD, emperor Domitian organized the first...
sulla80
Feb 17, 20244 min read
54 views

Tears of Chios
On my way to India this past week, I had a short layover in Athens. Sadly, on this trip, I only saw the Athens airport, where I picked up...
sulla80
Feb 3, 20244 min read
72 views


Seleucid usurper in Asia Minor
One of my sub-collections is a set of coins of the Seleucid kings. This collection is a mix of bronze and silver coins that is now up to...
sulla80
Jan 27, 20245 min read
76 views
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