dougsmit

I do not know. This is not something I have studied but I know there is a lot written on Roman coins that traveled a lot further north than I would have expected. Almost all of it is in languages I do not read. For example, the bibliographies on these links are not small but probably not very inclusive either: http://histoiremesure.revues.org/886 http://www.archeo.uw.edu.pl/zalaczniki/upload800.pdf http://ww.archeo.uw.edu.pl/zalaczniki/upload670.pdf The last, in particular, covers bronze coins of a similar period. Finds are very hard to study privately since relatively few countries other than the UK encourage private search for treasure. Elsewhere, where such activities are not legal, a find (accidental or searched out) is as likely to be melted as it is to be reported.

I really find it offensive when the non-numismatic press feels the need to post a image but has no idea what they are doing with the selection. This article discusses bronze sestertii of the 2nd century AD so some editor went online and grabbed a Republican silver coin 400 years too old to illustrate this piece. Now I doubt anyone associated with that publication recognizes that the IIS behind Roma's head is the denomination mark for two and a half asses or 1/4 of a denarius which was called a sestertius. To them, anything that hit a search for sestertius is good enough. Of course it would be asking too much for them to use a photo of the actual coins found. When I see something like this, I can only wonder if they are as inaccurate in the other matters they cover so I tend to discount anything written or shown on the site as probably erroneous. That particular image was taken from Wikipedia as provided by the dealer Classical Numismatic Group. CNG has an image resource that includes at least a thousand 2nd century sestertii that would have been fine for the purpose of this article. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_Sestertius_177_860042.jpg Since the article mentions most coins were of Marcus Aurelius and that types might transmit information about military campaigns, they might have used the above linked image portraying Marcus Aurelius with a reverse of arms captured from the Germans. The most important thing we can learn from this article is to read all sources with care. Who knows what else they got wrong???

It has been a while since I made a major addition to my educational website on ancient coins but this week have added a series detailing my favorite coins and why I like them. Admittedly these pages may not be a scholarly as some of my others but the purpose here is to enjoy the subject and share what is available out there for study with beginners in the field. To see the posts, visit my mapped image and click on a coin that seems interesting to disclose a large photo and write up on that particular coin. Questions, collections and proofreading help is welcome. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/favs.html