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Part II By August 1, 1714, Britain

When I saw this 1714 medal of George I of Great Britain, I was immediately fascinated by the reverse of the coin. (Click the image for enlargement.) The reverse inscription of this coin reads

Here's a 4th Century Forger's mold listed in a recent auction. Click on the image to see a larger picture.): http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=3021&lotNo=21426 guy also known as gaius Addendum : These coin molds from a previous post are thought by many also to be forgeries. http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/15782-augustus-27-bc-ad-14-iron-dies-joe-geranio/

Does anyone else find this cringe worthy? http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/178020-1/Michael+Parenti.aspx guy also known as gaius

The year 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of modern Italy

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I feel the Austrian school of economics has much to offer, however : (Here's a funny video about that horrible and pedestrian Austrian economist F. A. Hayek and the uber-enlightened Lord Keynes)

I don't know enough about economics to comment with any authority, but are you sure? Murray Rothbard was important in articulating the Austrian school. And Ludwig von Mises is still respected and studied. And Friedrich A. Hayek's arguements are still cited as a counterweight to the manipulations of Keynesian ecomonics (central governmental planning, cheap money, etc.). If anything, the Austrian school has been reevaluated during this recent economic mess. guy also know as gaius

Looks like an interesting book. Advise the publisher to allow the "look inside" feature offered by Amazon.com. Good luck, guy also known as gaius

Wow, I don't do modern politics and I don't know enough about economics to comment. But relating this to Ancient Rome.... Here's an interesting article comparing Krugman's economic policies with those of Diocletian: http://mises.org/daily/6076/Of-Krugman-and-Diocletian

Here's a very good critique of the movie 300. It was written by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh, a very thoughtful Iranian historian and expert on Ancient Persia. http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/300/index.htm guy also known as gaius

I think the quizzes are an excellent review, but they are not without error. Here is an example (Boldface type mine.): Of course, Septimus Severus was the brother-in-law (not the blood brother) of the Syrian noble Julia Maesa. Nevertheless, these quizzes are a quick and fun review. guy also known as gaius

If this is a repost, please delete it. I find these quizzes a nice review: http://www.funtrivia.com/ql.cfm?cat=3957 guy also known as gaius

I found this hard to believe, but genetic studies suggest that Italians are more genetically homogeneous than previously thought and they are genetically distinct from the rest of Europe. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/science/13visual.html?_r=0 I really find this hard to believe. Not meaning to be divisive, but my relatives from the Po valley even look different from other Italians. (Needless to say, they are also very distinct in culture and, until recently, language.) I would think that the multiple invasions over the centuries by various ethnic groups as well as genetic footprints left by indigenous groups would have made Italy a more heterogeneous people. I got this article from a youtube video insisting that Sicilians are at least genetically similar to the rest of Italians: guy also known as gaius

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, later named Elagabalus of Heliogabalus, was barely fourteen years old when he became emperor (AD 218-222). He was succeeded by his cousin Alexander Severus only four years later. He was Syrian on his mother's side and was a part of the Severan dynasty. This decadent and bizarre boy-emperor brought with him to the city of Rome the Syrian cult of Elagabal. Elagabalus, named after the deity, was the high priest of this cult. The cult of Elagabal was originally from Emesa (modern Homs), Syria. As explained from Wikipedia, his name has an interesting derivation: Interestingly enough, although the cult of Elagabal might be the cult of "the God of the Mountain," there are no large mountains near Emesa, Syria. While reading Martijn Icks' The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor, I came upon this interesting passage: This reminds me of a previous post in the past on the significance of Mount Argaeus: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/11560-mount-argaeus-on-coins/ A black conical stone played a prominent role with this cult (from Wikipedia): Hexastyle temple containing the conical stone of Elagabal (ornamented with a facing eagle) on a later bronze coin by potential Roman usurper Uranius from Emesa.*** Icks describes how this God of the Mountain later developed into a Syrian sun god. Roman aureus depicting Elagabalus. The reverse reads SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL (Holy Sun God Elagabal), and depicts a four-horse chariot [the quadriga is a traditional Roman image] shaded by four umbrellas carrying the sacred stone of Emesa. Here are other examples of similar coins from Wildwinds.com: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s7545.t.html The introduction of the foreign cult of Elagabal was probably not popular among most of the elite in traditional Roman society. Elagabalus flouted Roman law and tradition by elevating the cult of Elagalabus in the Roman pantheon and by marrying a vestal virgin. With Elagalabus's assassination in AD 222, the cult of Elagabal lost its patronage in Rome and the religious transformations were quickly reversed. The black stone of Elagabal was returned to Emesa. Numismatic evidence sheds light on this turbulent and confusing period of Roman history. guy also known as gaius ***For more information on Uranius, the potential usurper from Emesa, read this previous post: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/14589-uranius-antoninus-little-known-usurper/ .

Although I'm skeptical about conclusions from DNA studies, this was interesting: http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/scotland-s-dna-descended-from-lost-tribes-and-related-to-napoleon-1-2238030

Here's a nicer example that sold in May 2012 for 33% less: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=570085 Your example (not nearly as nice):

Here's a link to some Roman coins sold in auction that possibly have the image of Vercingetorix (or at least a Gallic warrior). http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?search=Vercingetorix&view_mode=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ol=1&sort=&c=&a=&l=#17 guy also known as gaius

If you are interested in the subject of Phillip II of Macedonia, Ian Worthington's Phillip II of Macedonia might be worth a look. Worthington also contends that the overlooked Phillip II was greater in many ways than his more famous son, Alexander. guy also known as gaius

If you are going to the Reggio Calabria area, be sure to see the famous Greek Riace bronzes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riace_Bronzes These bronzes are housed at the National Museum of Reggio Calabria. I've never been there, but they must be spactacular. Addendum: It appears these stunning statues are undergoing restoration and study. They may not be on display again till late 2012. I recommend checking ahead of time.

I, too, have wondered about his motivation. His distrust of Greek physicians is very indicative of his warped view:

Not wanting to get into the modern politics of illegal immigration, America is fortunate that the vast majority of its immigrants (both legal and illegal) want to learn English, assimilate into American culture, and become

Nice introduction to the Roman limes for the non-expert:

The image of the noble and pristine agrarian culture degenerating into the corrupt and venal urban civilization has long persisted in Western mythology, echoed in writings as diverse as the Ancient Roman historian Tacitus to the 18th century French writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The inevitable collapse and destruction of urban society, according to many modern writers, results in the chaos and confusion of a future nightmare setting as depicted in George Miller's post-apocalyptic The Road Warriors from the Mad Max series. In the years 1833-36 Thomas Cole, an early American landscape artist, created a series that reflected this pessimistic belief. His series, titled The Course of Empire, is rich in Ancient Roman imagery to depict this decline. The five paintings below are from The Course of Empire series. (The fourth painting is my favorite.) Remember, one must be logged in to see the images. The first painting in the series, The Savage State, captures the pristine beauty of the wilderness. picture pending The second painting, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, represents the pre-urbanized Greek ideal. The third painting, The Consummation of Empire, depicts the city state in all of its Ancient glory. The fourth painting (the most impressive), Destruction, shows the Ancient city being destroyed by enemy warriors as they sail up the river. Many think that this imagery was inspired by the Vandals

It's a great concept for a book -- I'd eagerly purchase it. Did you already choose the paintings and get the rights to reproduce them? I agree. It would certainly be a book to purchase. Now that I have figured out how to add images again, I hope to make similar posts in the future. Ironically, the patron of Vanderlyn who painted this masterpiece, was Aaron Burr. For those who don't know, Aaron Burr was Vice-President under Thomas Jefferson. Burr was later humbled for his political machinations. He killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. A few years later he was arrested for treason involving lands in the West, but later was acquitted. Similar to Marius, Aaron Burr fell from the pinnacles of power. Vanderlyn's career floundered when he lost the patronage of Aaron Burr. guy also known as gaius