Tag: ancient history

Antiquities authentication and valuation: the thrill of examining long forgotten collections

It’s always a thrill when a new customer contacts me out of the blue to examine a group of objects for purposes of authentication or valuation or for help with bringing the collection up for sale. Often these are objects that have been passed down from parents or grandparents, and just as often the current… Read More Antiquities authentication and valuation: the thrill of examining long forgotten collections

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Roman Provincial Coinage: A Brief Review

Roman provincial coinage is an area of study in which non-academics, especially avid collectors and dealers, can make real contributions to the study of the ancient Roman world. While many thousands of different provincial types or variants are known, new ones are still routinely being discovered.They offer a much wider range of imagery than the… Read More Roman Provincial Coinage: A Brief Review

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This Week’s Featured Item: A Small Coin with a Big Story

Clio Ancient Art Antiquities, Roman coins

This week’s featured object is a small bronze coin of the Roman Emperor Constantius II. That may not be a name that jumps out from the pages of history the way Roman Emperors like Augustus, Nero or Hadrian do but in his own way Constantius II was a remarkable ruler. Born in what is now… Read More This Week’s Featured Item: A Small Coin with a Big Story

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Object of the Week: A Superb Roman Bronze Brooch

One group of artifacts making up a large proportion of small bronze objects available on the legitimate antiquities market is the fibula or brooch —  an ornate pin, usually made of copper alloy but sometimes of precious metals or even iron, used to fasten and decorate clothing. Prior to the use of buttons becoming common… Read More Object of the Week: A Superb Roman Bronze Brooch

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Our Object the the Week: A Merovingian Frankish Silver and Glass Buckle, Late 5th – 6th Century AD

This week we have selected a superb silver and glass buckle from Late Antiquity. This object was made at the moment in history when the Western European provinces of the Roman Empire were slipping further from centralised authority and becoming the de facto semi-barbarian kingdoms of the Franks, Visigoths, Saxons and others. Our object dates… Read More Our Object the the Week: A Merovingian Frankish Silver and Glass Buckle, Late 5th – 6th Century AD

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Ruins of Praetorian Barracks Uncovered in Rome Subway Upgrade

The link below leads to an illustrated article from the Canadian Global News network on the unexpected discovery of a Praetorian Guard barracks in Rome, resulting from the ongoing upgrade to the City’s subway system (opens in a new window or tab). The ruins are impressive for the wall decorations and mosaic floors, and are… Read More Ruins of Praetorian Barracks Uncovered in Rome Subway Upgrade

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New Video from the Museum of London Looks at a Genetic Study of Roman Londoners

The Museum of London has undertaken the first multidisciplinary study of the inhabitants of a Roman city anywhere in the Empire. In the video Curators Dr Rebecca Redfern and Caroline McDonald explain how this was done through the analysis of the ancient DNA (aDNA) of four different individuals from the Roman period. This analysis has… Read More New Video from the Museum of London Looks at a Genetic Study of Roman Londoners

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