Coins: Did you mean...?

These coins show the Sassanian "King of Kings" Kosrau I (aka Khosrow I), reigned 531-579 CE. He wears and holds a royal headband (diadem) as a symbol of kingship. Elements of earlier coins, such as the star and moon, are also incorporated...

In the Persian Empire, some regional governors (satraps) were authorized to issue coins for military purposes. They combine Persian and Greek imagery, showing a strap's head and a local reverse image. These are some of the earliest coin portraits...

Coins of Euthydemus II, early 2nd century BCE. Peshawar Museum, Pakistan.

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...

Samudragupta (r. 335/350 - 370/380 CE) was the first significant ruler of the Gupta Dynasty. Having come to the throne, he decided to extend the boundaries of his empire to cover the multiple kingdoms and republics that existed outside its...

These are some of the earliest coins in the World. Made from electrum, a naturally occurring mixture of gold and silver, they were issued in Lydia. Although irregular in size and shape, these early coins were produced according to a strict...

Silver had great value and aesthetic appeal in many ancient cultures where it was used to make jewellery, tableware, figurines, ritual objects and rough-cut pieces known as hacksilver which could be used in trade or to store wealth. The metal...