Coins: Did you mean...?

A gold dinar of Abd al-Malik (r. 685-705 CE) minted in Damascus in 697/98 CE. Abd al-Malik introduced an independent Islamic currency in 693 CE, which initially bore depictions of the caliph before being abandoned for coins solely containing...

The rebel Carausius (Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Valerius Carausius) declared himself emperor, making Britain his base. Although he had no authority in Rome, he stressed his Roman identity by citing the poet Virgil on his coins. He also used...

Alexander conquered large areas of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The coin types produced during his lifetime were still used after his death in 323 BCE. These had the same imagery and weight standard, with local symbols to distinguish the...

Julius Caesar was deified after his death and a comet appearing at this time was seen as a manifestation of his spirit. Octavian (later Emperor Augustus), used his coinage to emphasize his relationship to Caesar, his adoptive father, describing...

When Money Talks: A History of Coins and Numismatics by Frank Holt explores the history of coins from their first invention in ancient Lydia, all the way up to cryptocurrency and the future of coinage. Though coins may seem mundane and the...

Cyrus the Great (558-530 BCE) built the first universal empire, stretching from Greece to the Indus River. This was the famous Achaemenid Empire of Persia. An inscription at Naqsh-i-Rustam, the tomb of his able successor Darius I (521-486...

Some of the most common Roman coins, including the gold aureus, silver denarius and brass sestertius.

Gold coins issued by Samudragupta (circa 335 – 375 CE).

When Money Talks: A History of Coins and Numismatics by Frank Holt.

The coinage of the Byzantine Empire continued that of its more ancient predecessors and functioned as a convenient method of payment for goods and services, especially to soldiers and officials, and as a means for people to pay their taxes...