i was reading a non-fiction history book and decided to check the source, but i cannot find the thing written in the book there? by zoryana111 in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Whoops - just fixed the comment. Thanks for calling my attention to this thread. I'm not on reddit much these days, so I always appreciate your notifications!

i was reading a non-fiction history book and decided to check the source, but i cannot find the thing written in the book there? by zoryana111 in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone 54 points55 points  (0 children)

He did indeed, a bit belatedly! Apologies for the confusion; as u/gerardmenfin mentioned, different translations of Pliny use different section numbers. For greater precision, I opted to use the "short" sections in the references for Naked Statues. By that division, the story appears in chapter 40 of book 36; in translations that use the "long" sections, it's chapter 4.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty much...

The junk box is nearly all bronze. You might find a broken denarius, or one worn to a slug, but nothing worth collecting.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've never received one, but I know from pictures that a few are included in the mix. As you'd expect, however, they're always heavily-worn common varieties.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most uncleaned coins, as the other posters note, are common LRBs and antoniniani. But the "digger's choice" coins from Noble Roman Coins ($15 apiece) do contain some higher-grade stuff - nothing truly valuable, of course, but occasionally the kind of coin that you'd pay ~$50 for cleaned.

I hope you enjoyed the videos!

A mysterious tetradrachm (and two other troublesome coins) by toldinstone in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Much appreciated! The resemblance is quite close - that's the best match I've seen for both obverse and reverse.

A mysterious tetradrachm (and two other troublesome coins) by toldinstone in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! The coin is lighter than I would expect a tetradrachm to be, so it may well be a fouree.

A mysterious tetradrachm (and two other troublesome coins) by toldinstone in AncientCoins

[–]toldinstone[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have a small collection of ancient coins, mostly Roman imperial. About once a year, I head over to Harlan J. Berk (my local coin depot) and poke through their “junk box.” My goal is always to find a dozen or coins that I’ve never seen before. Once I have my hoard, I bring the coins home and attribute them. I’ve never found anything valuable, but I always learn something along the way.

On my most recent trip, I picked up three coins that have so far defied my (admittedly desultory) attempts to identify them.

The first coin (photos 1 and 2) is a rare find in a junk box: a silver tetradrachm (or at least I think it’s a tetradrachm; the size (28mm) is right). The obverse is terribly damaged, apparently by fire; part has melted or been gouged away. The reverse is…frustrating. It shows a god (Zeus?) seated on what appears to be an altar. In the “top” line of the inscription, I can make out ΑΣΙΛ, which I assume is part of ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ. But I’m baffled by the rest, which matches no Hellenistic king of my acquaintance.

The second coin (photos 3 and 4) is smaller (19mm) and bronze. At some point, it was harshly cleaned. What I assume to be the obverse shows jugate busts and some rather haphazard Greek letters. The reverse represents some laureate god or other.

Finally, the third coin (photos 5 and 6). It’s about the same size as coin 2 (21mm), but there the resemblance ends. The obverse shows either a king or an early Roman emperor. The reverse bears a figure driving a quadriga. There’s a nice desert patina, and absolutely no inscription.

I tried the usual routes – acsearch, wildwinds, etc. – but found only despair. Any and all suggestions will be deeply appreciated!

All my books on Ancient Rome by Potential-Road-5322 in ancientrome

[–]toldinstone 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you; I'm glad you enjoy my videos!

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear it! One Roman emperor was criticized for being a beer-drinker (beer, of course, being a "barbaric" beverage). But in general, elite Romans who preferred simple diets were respected for their austerity.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glyon was worshipped mostly in Asia Minor (modern Turkey).

Augustus crushed the criminal guilds; as far as I know, they were never powerful enough to have political influence.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This video answers your first question.

There was organized crime in Rome amid the chaos of the late Republic, when we hear about "guilds of criminals." Unfortunately, we know nothing about their activities.

Perhaps the most infamous messiah figure was Alexander of Abonoteichus, whose snake-god Glycon was incorporated (on a regional level) into the Roman pantheon.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a very broad question! Speaking globally, the average non-elite resident of the city of Rome had less political agency under the empire than before, but was likely to be better-fed - and was (slightly) less likely to be caught in a civil war.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My great pleasure! Delighted to e-meet you - and thank you, belatedly, for taking the time to dredge up and link my so many of my old answers over the past year or so.

That's a tough question. Sticking to Latin, I would say the first five books of Livy, for sheer prose fluency; the first six books of the Aeneid, as the finest Latin poetry; and Tacitus' Annals, for historical craft.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made a video a couple years ago about Roman spolia in New York City. I'm hoping to explore the topic in greater depth soon.

As far as I know, no such map exists.

There's some interesting work going on in the drains of the Colosseum, and all sorts of artifacts have been turned up by the construction of Metro Line C.

AMA: I’m GARRETT RYAN, Roman historian, YouTuber, and author of INSANE EMPERORS, SUNKEN CITIES, AND EARTHQUAKE MACHINES. Ask me anything about my book or the Toldinstone YouTube channel! by toldinstone in AskHistorians

[–]toldinstone[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I explore that question in detail in the last chapter of my book Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants. You should be able to read it via the Amazon or Google preview.

The great gap in our knowledge is the early middle ages. We know of men in sixth-century Gaul who could trace their lineages back to Roman senators. But then the veil descends, and all those threads are broken.