Elephants on ancient coins

Elephants have a long history of interaction with humans. The Indus Valley civilization used captive Asian elephants as early as 2000 BCE for logging, transportation and ceremonial processions.

Karshapana, or “punch-marked silver” coinage of India, dates from 600 BCE to ca. 300

India provides the earliest appearance of elephants on coins. A rare commemorative silver dekadrachm, Alexander the Great, lance in hand, charges at an elephant. This may have been an actual event during the Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BCE). Horses are spooked by the smell and sound of elephants unless trained.

Alexander (336-323 B.C.), Silver dekadrachm of 5 shekels, 40.08g. Minted at Babylon, struck c. 327 B.C. $300k.

African elephants appear on the reverse of rare Carthaginian coins struck in Spain from about 220 to 206 BCE, probably to pay mercenaries. The best-known elephant images on coins appears on a massive issue of Roman denarii in the name of Julius Caesar. Based on the multitude of different dies, the size of this issue is estimated at 22.5 million.

This coin sold in 2013 for $980.

In 248 CE, Rome observed it's 1000th anniversary. Emperor Philip I (“the Arab”) celebrated with elaborate gladiatorial games, fighting exotic animals brought from every corner of the empire.

These were commemorated on his coins, which survive in large numbers.

Hoard of Pompeii charms

In 2019 archaeologists in Pompeii discovered a treasure trove of good luck charms and fertility amulets.

Most of the items would have belonged to women. A room with the bodies of 10 victims, including women and children, was excavated in the same house. The trove was found in what remained of a wooden box.

The wood itself had decomposed and only the bronze hinges remained, preserved by the volcanic material which hardened over it. The objects included crystals, amber and amethyst stones, buttons made of bones, beetles from the orient, amulets, dolls, bells, miniature penises, fists and a tiny skull.

They were found at the Casa del Giardino.

Amulets were essential in Roman daily life to ward off the 'evil eye', bad luck, and disease. They were commonly worn or carried by children, soldiers, and women.

Grave of Celtic Prince reveals gold

In June 2015 French archaeologists completed excavations of an ancient burial site revealing the decorated skeleton of a Celtic prince. The tomb dating back some 2,500 years was discovered in an industrial area of Lavau, a village near Troyes, about 150km southeast of Paris. The finding was described as "extraordinary" by experts. Buried with a two-wheeled chariot, the body is believed to be a high-ranked aristocrat from the Hallstatt culture that dominated central Europe during the Early Iron Age.

The skeleton sported ancient pieces of jewellery including a richly decorated gold torque weighing more than half a kilo and gold bracelets.

Remains of the deceased's clothes, such as shoe parts, finely worked amber beads that formed a necklace, and iron and coral hooks that attached to a piece of clothing were found.

Grave of ‘Griffin Warrior’ at Pylos

The grave of a Mycenaean warrior was uncovered in 2016 in Pylos in the southwest of Greece was that of a warrior in his mid-30s who died around 1500 B.C. Buried with him thousands of objects, including silver cups, beads made of precious stones, ivory combs, a sword and four intricately decorated solid gold rings. The discovery of the “Griffin Warrior” offers evidence that Mycenaean culture recognized and appreciated Minoan culture. The man's rings are made of multiple sheets of gold and depict very detailed scenes and iconography straight out of Minoan mythology. The rings probably come from Crete where they were used to place seals on documents or objects.

All the cups, pitchers and basins found were made of metal – bronze, silver and gold. The man was hugely rich. Since discovery the number of artifacts recovered from the grave has reached over 3,500, including a significant Minoan stone called the Pylos Combat Agate and four signet gold rings with detailed images from Minoan mythology.

A bronze mirror with an ivory handle.

Archaeologists digging at Pylos, an ancient city on the southwest coast of Greece, discovered the rich grave of a warrior who was buried at the dawn of European civilization. Archaeologists expressed astonishment at the richness of the find and its potential for shedding light on the emergence of the Mycenaean civilization, the lost world of Agamemnon, Nestor, Odysseus and other heroes described in the epics of Homer.

The tomb is said to be the the most complete Greek find of its kind since the 1950s. The find includes gold, silver, ivory, and bronze artifacts, as well as engraved gemstones and an ornate ivory-and gilt-hilted sword. The warrior was buried around 1500 B.C., next to the site on Pylos on which, many years later, arose the palace of Nestor, a large administrative center that was destroyed in 1180 B.C., about the same time as Homer’s Troy. The palace was part of the Mycenaean civilization; from its ashes, classical Greek culture arose several centuries later.

The Cyrus Cylinder

Residing at the British Museum, the Cyrus cylinder is a clay cylinder containing an account of the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. Written in Akkadian cuneiform script, it describes his restoration of various temples and statues removed by Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon, and of his own work at Babylon.

The Cyrus Cylinder serves as a declaration promoting the return of the deported and freedom of worship, aligning with the return of Jewish exiles mentioned in the Bible. It is regarded as a precursor to modern human rights and a testament to the multicultural management by the Achaemenid Empire. The artifact, about the size of a football, was designed to be embedded in the walls of Babylon as a foundation deposit.

The Staffordshire Hoard

With more than 3,500 items, amounting to some 5kg of gold and 1.4kg of silver – plus thousands of garnets – the Staffordshire hoard is the largest cache of Anglo-Saxon metalwork ever found.

Archaeologists think the treasures were trophies, captured over multiple mid-seventh century battles.

It's likely that they were seized by the English midlands kingdom of Mercia from the kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Wessex.

The items are almost exclusively military. The hoard was made up of fittings from up to 150 swords, gold and garnet elements of high status seax (fighting knifes), a gilded silver helmet, crosses, and a probable bishop’s headdress.

The ornate bishop’s headdress is the world’s earliest surviving example of high status ecclesiastical headgear. One element bears an inscription – a quotation from the Book of Numbers. It reads “Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee”. It's possible that the hoard was war booty captured by the pagan Mercian king, Penda, from armies led by Christians.

The hoard was found in the village of Hammerwich in Staffordshire.

A silver gilt strip bears the Biblical inscription in Latin – the only inscribed item in the haul.

The hoard was purchased jointly by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery for £3.285m under the Treasure Act.

The Peacock Throne

The Peacock Throne was a famous jewelled throne that was the seat of the Mughal emperors of India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Red Fort of Delhi. The original throne was captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by the Persian king Nader Shah, and has been lost ever since. The Peacock Throne took 7 years to complete. Large amounts of gold, precious stones and pearls were used, creating a masterpiece of Mughal workmanship that was unsurpassed before or since.

A 2000 report estimated the value of the Peacock Throne at $810m

The throne was inaugurated with a triumphant ceremony on 22 March 1635.

Shah Jahan ruled in what is considered the Golden Age of the Mughal Empire, which covered most of the Indian subcontinent. It was ruled from the capital of Shahjahanabad and the imperial citadel Red Fort.

It was only seen by a small minority of courtiers, aristocrats and visiting dignitaries. The throne was even for the Golden Age Mughal standards supremely extravagant and cost twice as much as the construction of the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb ascended the Peacock Throne and is considered the last of the strong Mughal emperors. By his death in 1707 the empire was in inexorable decline. Nadir Shah's invasion of India culminated in the Battle of Karnal on February 13, 1739 and the defeat of Muhammad Shah. Nader Shah of Persia sacked Delhi and stole the Peacock Throne.

Nadir Shah entered Delhi and sacked the city. Persian troops left Delhi at the beginning of May 1739, taking with them the throne as a war trophy with many other treasures. Among the known precious stones were the Akbar Shah diamond, Great Mogul diamond, Great Table diamond, Koh-i-Noor, Shah diamond, as well as the Samarian spinel and the Timur ruby.

An Imperial Mughal spinel necklace with eleven polished baroque spinels for a total weight of 1,131.59 carats. Three of the spinels are engraved. Two with the name of Emperor Jahangir (1569-1627), one with the three names of Emperor Jahangir, Emperor Shah Jahan and Emperor Alamgir, also known as Aurangzeb. Portrait of Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu Begum). She was the favourite wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. She died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child in 1631. The following year the emperor began work on the mausoleum that would house her body. The result was the world-famous Taj Mahal.

Necklace features five pendant Golconda diamonds with emerald drops. The central stone weighs 28 carats and is the largest table-cut diamond known. The five surrounding stones—weighing 96 carats, collectively—comprise the largest known matching set of table-cut diamonds. A rare Mughal pale green jadeite snuff bottle. 1800-1900. The translucent stone is of pale icy green tone. 2 in. (5 cm.) high, pink tourmaline stopper and bone spoon.